Introduction of a new agricultural technology —Soil Solarization—in Israel

Abstract

Soil solarization is a non-chemical method for soil disinfestation. Theoretically, Israel is one of the ideal sites for the use of this technology. It has been shown that the introduction of soil solarization is highly crop-dependent and is inversely correlated with the availability of alternative soil disinfestation methods. Solarization has been easily introduced for crops with no reliable and recommended soil disinfestation methods or in organic farming and in cases where the technique is inexpensive. Its introduction into crops for which other soil disinfestation techniques are established, or to less intensive crops, has been much slower. Apart from objective reasons for not using solarization,e.g. plots which are in use during the suitable season or low efficacy against specific soilborne pests, there are problems that need to be solved. These are related to technology and technology diffusion, to the price of the plastic sheeting, and to the priority given by farmers to non-chemical methods.