Spudman January 2023 - 19

Soil Fumigation Treatment Zones
What You Don't Know Could be Stealing
from Your Investment
When growers apply Strike soil
fumigant under their carefully managed
field conditions, they get impressive
results - top-notch control of rhizoctonia,
black dot, common scab, and even early
die complex; increased populations of
soil's key microbials; boosted crop yield;
improved sustainability. However, in less
well-managed applications, results can
leave a grower wanting. That's because
even a well-proven product like Strike is
only at its best performance when it is set
up for success. To get the most from your
Strike fumigation, attention to detail both
during and after application is critical.
Let's dig into how to manage fumigated
fields after application.
One of the most common
misconceptions about fumigating with
Strike is the treatment zone. Farmers
regularly misinterpret fumigation as
treating every square inch of soil, even
incorrectly thinking it 'sterilizes' a
field. While Strike targets soil borne
disease, it only treats the row to a depth
that protects the potato crop roots and
daughter tubers. Given that spacing
between fumigation (i.e. planting) rows
is typically 36 inches and the fumigant
is placed 10-12 " below the soil surface,
the vast majority of a field's soil
remains untreated. The key to Strike's
success is that treated and untreated
soil don't mix, as mixing contaminates
the treated zone, reducing or negating
Strike's protective capacity. However, the
whole field can be treated over time by
offsetting planting rows.
Keeping a fumigant zone intact is
key and depends an enormous amount
on ensuring your hills hold up from
fumigant application through planting
and into the growing season. If you
fumigate in the spring, that's a relatively
easy ask of your hills. However, if you
fumigate in the fall, your hills need
protection to withstand the erosive
pressures of winter's wind and snow
and spring's melt. The best solution to
support hills' integrity is cover crops.
Spring bed freshening isn't generally
necessary unless a really solid soil crust
forms. If you choose to freshen, stay
away from aggressive equipment like
power hillers that mix and disturb the
treated area. A better option is to re-hill
in-season. First, leaving the hills entirely
undisturbed pre-planting means seedling
plants get their best start in well-treated
soil. And, though in-season re-hilling will
bring up soil onto the top of the hill, it
can be done carefully enough to keep the
fumigated zone mostly undisturbed.
Accurate seed placement is critical!
Your goal is to disturb the hill as little
as possible in order to maintain the
treatment zone, while placing the seed
as close as possible to the center of that
treated area. If at all possible, use a
system that offers GPS correction on the
tractor at both fumigation and planting.
A farmer's greatest tool is knowledge.
The more you know, the more you can
make a plan for success.
- By Dr. Chad Hutchinson
www.strikefumigants.com
Strike is a Federally Restricted Use Pesticide. This article was originally published in Spud Smart.
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http://www.strikefumigants.com

Spudman January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spudman January 2023