Ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2) - A novel soil fumigant for strawberry production

Mattner, S.W., Gounder, R.K., Mann, R.C., Porter, I.J., Matthiessen, J.N, Ren, Y.L. and Sarwar, M. (2006) Ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2) - A novel soil fumigant for strawberry production. Acta Horticulturae, 708 . pp. 197-203.

Abstract

For the first time, ethanedinitrile (C 2N 2, EDN) was examined as an alternative to the ozone-degrading fumigant, methyl bromide (MB), for soil disinfestation in the nursery production of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa). In microplot studies, EDN killed buried inoculum of several soil-borne pathogens of strawberry (Pythium ultimum, Phytophthora cactorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia fragariae and Rhizoctonia solani) and reduced natural populations of plant-parasitic nematodes (Tylenchus and Helicotylenchus spp.) to levels equivalent to MB. EDN was most efficacious when it was injected at depth into soil (20 cm) and sealed with low-density polyethylene. In field trials, EDN reduced the emergence of weeds (Poa annua, Spregula arvensis, Agrostis tenuis and Raphanus raphanistrum) by 98%, and increased strawberry runner yields by 135%, which was equivalent to MB. Although trials are continuing, these preliminary results demonstrate a strong potential for EDN as an alternative to MB for strawberry production.