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Biofumigation

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Recent advances in crop protection

Abstract

There has been considerable interest in the use of certain crops as biological fumigants ahead of crop production to reduce the need for chemical fumigation, especially in tight rotations. These are crops that would be grown for their naturally occurring compounds that kill soil-borne pests. Plants in the mustard family, such as mustards, radishes, turnips and rapeseed, and Sorghum species (Sudan grass, Sorghum–Sudan grass hybrids) have shown the potential to serve as biological fumigants. Research has shown some promise in using these crops to reduce soil-borne pests. Plants from the mustard family produce chemicals called glucosinolates in plant tissue (roots and foliage). These glucosinolates are released from plant tissue when it is cut or chopped and then are further broken down by enzymes to form chemicals that behave like fumigants. The most common of these breakdown products are isothiocyanates. These are the same chemicals that are released from metham sodium (Vapam) and metham potassium (K-Pam), commonly used as chemical fumigants. Sorghums produce a cyanogenic glucoside compound called dhurrin that breaks down to release toxic cyanide when plant tissue is damaged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    P. Parvatha Reddy (Former Director)

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Reddy, P.P. (2012). Biofumigation. In: Recent advances in crop protection. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-0723-8_4

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