2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Anaerobic soil disinfestation has been showed to be an effectively potential alternative method for chemical fumigant to control soilborne plant pathogens and several weeds. A series of greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of several locally available carbon sources for anaerobic soil disinfestation on certain weeds suppression. The potential carbon sources included rice bran (6t/acre), sorghum-sudangrass (6.4t/acre), cowpea (7.2t/acre), buckwheat (7.6t/care), paper mulch (3.1t/acre), brewer`s spent grain (6.04t/acre), used coffee grounds (10.64t/acre) and peanut shells (5.9t/acre) at 4 mg of C/g of soil. All trials were conducted in containers made by PVC tubes with 0.2 m tall and 0.15 m diameter. The viability of common chickweed, redroot pigweed, white clover and yellow nutsedge was reduced significantly and similarly with all C sources. Redox potential in all ASD treatments during the 3-week treatment period was lower than the nontreated control. Addition of distiller’s yeast at 4.1kg/acre to C sources at 4 mg of C/g of soil, provided better or similar weed control than ASD treatments with C sources applied at the 4mg rate without distiller’s yeast. The application of distiller`s yeast also enhance the effect of ASD treatments when C sources were brewer`s spent grain, coffee ground, peanut shell and riven bran. ASD treatments in all trials reduced weed viability in the 38 to 100% range compared to nontreated control.