Benzaldehyde as a Soil Fumigant, and an Apparatus for Rapid Fumigant Evaluation

Abstract

An apparatus was developed for the rapid and facile evaluation of soil fumigants in a controlled manner using small volumes of soil. The apparatus consisted of a manifold to which were attached six canisters containing a loamy sand soil (adjusted to –100 kPa soil water potential). The soil was infested with either conidia of Fusarium oxysporum or Trichoderma harzianum; sclerotia of Sclerotinia minor; ascospores of Talaromyces flavus; vermiculite colonized with Pythium aphanidermatum; or beet (Beta vulgaris L., cv. Detroit Red) seed colonized with Rhizoctonia solani. Using nitrogen gas (N2) as a carrier gas, either N2 or N2 plus benzaldehyde was passed continuously through the soil for 24, 48, or 72 hours. At all three exposure times, benzaldehyde + N2 reduced viability of R. solani and S. minor, and reduced populations of P. aphanidermatum and T. harzianum. Populations of F. oxysporum were reduced after 48 and 72 hours of exposure to benzaldehyde, whereas populations of T. flavus were reduced only after 72 hours of exposure. Fumigation with benzaldehyde + N2 for 24 hours did not affect soil pH 1 week after exposure, but fumigation for 48 or 72 hours temporarily lowered pH from an average of 6.86 to 5.57 and 5.32, respectively. The biocontrol fungus, T. flavus, was less sensitive to benzaldehyde than the pathogens or the biocontrol fungus, T. harzianum. Thus, combining T. flavus with benzaldehyde to enhance biocontrol may be possible.