Physical and cultural methods for the management of soil-borne pathogens

There is an increasing interest in using physical methods and cultural practices (CP) in disease control as alternatives to pesticides for the management of soil-borne pathogens. These can be used alone or as components of pest management programs. In this regard, there are three categories of CP: (a) CP for regular purposes which can also be used for disease control, e.g. irrigation; (b) CP which are used solely or mainly for pest control, e.g. sanitation; (c) CP which can be used for both agricultural purposes and pest control, e.g. crop rotation. The basic principles of CP for pest control are (a) any potential control method may be considered, providing that it is environmentally, technologically and economically feasible; (b) pesticide usage is minimized by combining with other non-chemical or chemical methods; (c) diseases that are difficult to control or that involve problematic pesticides, e.g. methyl bromide, should be prioritized; (d) economic aspects are taken into consideration. Physical methods include heating the soil or propagation material, irradiation, etc. CP for pest control can be used before, at or after planting. They include crop rotation, fallow, flooding, deep ploughing, flaming, soil solarization — which involves a combination of physical and biological processes, adjusting planting date, irrigation, fertilization, compost, weed control, herbicide application, sanitation, tillage and others.