Anaerobic soil disinfestation: A biological tool for soilborne pest management

Soilborne pests have traditionally been managed by soil fumigation, a practice with adverse effects on human health and the environment. The search for alternatives to soil fumigation led to the development of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), a practice that can effectively reduce pest pressure in many cropping systems worldwide. To conduct ASD, an organic amendment is added to the soil, the soil is irrigated to field capacity, and a tarp is laid over the treated area to reduce gas exchange. These activities result in high microbial activity that rapidly progresses to anaerobic fermentation, when a diverse array of metabolites are produced that are detrimental to soilborne pests. Interest in ASD has proliferated in the last two decades and literature on this practice is reviewed here, with emphasis on ASD's history, efficacy, mechanisms of disinfestation, integration with other pest management practices, commercial adoption, environmental impacts, and impacts on human pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. ASD has been able to control most pathogens, nematodes, and weed species against which it was tested. The organic amendment type and application rate, tarp type, duration of soil moisture at field capacity, duration of anaerobic conditions, and soil temperature were important factors for predicting efficacy. The practice is limited to use for production of high value crops, such as strawberry, tomatoes, and peppers, and has been commercially adopted in multiple countries. Commercial adoption is likely to increase, as specific practices improve and barriers to adoption are addressed through economic or educational means.