Physical, Chemical and Environmental Properties of Selected Chemical Alternatives for the Pre-Plant Use of Methyl Bromide as Foil Fumigant

The physical, chemical and environmental properties of selected chemical alternatives for the pre-plant use of methyl bromide as soil fumigant are analyzed. Production and use of methyl bromide, a soil fumigant, are being restricted because of the chemical's deleterious effects on stratospheric ozone concentrations. Degradation of methyl iodide in soil is generally slower than for methyl bromide and proceeds at comparable rates in viable and sterile soils. Several products namely, 1,3-dichloropropene and methyl isothiocyanate generators such as metam-sodium are currently registered, while others namely, methyl iodide and sodium azide are at different stages of the registration process. Metam-sodium is a multipurpose soil fumigant, which can be used prior to seeding or transplanting to control nematodes, fungi, soil insects, and weed seeds.