2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has proven to be an effective alternative to chemical fumigation to control soilborne plant pathogens and several weed species. An objective of this study was to evaluate the weed control potential of ASD when brewer’s spent grain was used as a carbon source. This study also estimated a new method that included distiller’s yeast to be combined with brewer`s spent grain. Treatments in the study were brewer`s spent grain full rate (4mg C / g soil, 6 ton/acre) with/without distiller`s yeast, brewer`s spent grain half rate (2mg C/ g soil, 3 ton /acre) with/without distiller`s yeast, Pic-Clor 80 that was shank-fumigated at 325 kg/ha and an untreated control with/without distiller`s yeast. There were four replicates for each treatment, and each replicate was a bed of dimension 10.6 m long by 0.8 m wide. The center 4.6 m length of each bed was used for planting strawberry, and 1.5 m length adjacent to planting area was used for weed data collection by creating fixed quadrat. All beds were covered with a black colored virtually impermeable film at the time of treatment initiation except quadrat areas were replaced post-treatment completion with clear plastic film. The 3-week ASD was initiated on 5 September 2018 and ended on 26 September; the Pic-Clor 80 was applied on 7 September 2018. Following the preplant treatments, ‘Ruby June’ strawberry plugs were transplanted in two rows at a 36 cm in-row spacing, and 16 plants in each bed on October 7, 2018. Weed density count by species and biomass data were collected from fixed quadrat areas once per month from November 2018 to March 2019. Neither brewer’s spent grain dosage rate, nor yeast, had an effect on the total weed density and biomass. However, weed density and biomass in ASD treatments and Pic-Clor 80 were significantly lower than the untreated control.