Alternatives to Methyl Bromide in Strawberries

In January 1999, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (now known as the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery or CalRecycle) was part of an effort to get grant funds for a field study on alternatives to Methyl Bromide fumigation on California strawberries. CalRecycle’s position was to include the use of compost as part of the Department of Pesticide Regulations Innovations in Pest Management (IPM) grant for “Plug Plant and Soil Amendment technology. The grant would have allowed the partnership to:

• Collect data on California strawberry production using plug plants, non-chemical soil treatments, and alternative chemical fumigants in the absence of methyl bromide.
• Promote reduced-risk pest management strategies.
• Develop alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation for nurseries and strawberry growers.
• Demonstrate the value of plug plants and compost in strawberry production.
• Disseminate the results of the demonstration project to strawberry growers in California.

However, once funds were acquired, the Alliance chose to investigate only alternative chemical fumigants, leaving CalRecycle “out-of-the-loop.” The final report, An Evaluation of Soil-Borne Pest Management for Strawberries in California in the Absence of Methyl BromidePDF download is available from the Department of Pesticide Regulation.