University Of Florida scientists receive grant to study fumigation impacts on soil health

Soil health is an important aspect to strawberry and tomato production. Farmers often apply a type of pesticide called fumigants to the soil months before planting to manage soil health.

Fumigants reduce harmful diseases such as Fusarium wilt, pests such as root-knot nematodes, and weeds that compete for water and nutrients. While these fumigants are not present in the soils once the crops are planted, their effects on soil diseases, pests and weeds help sustain production.

But how does all that happen? There’s so much underground. A teaspoon of soil can contain more than 4 billion microbial organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes

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