Over 50 years of use have proven Chloropicrin’s track record of suppressing disease and improving sustainable crop production. University studies and research field trials confirm that Chloropicrin acts as a selective agent, supporting the repopulation of native, beneficial microbes.
Soil Health is a relatively new phrase in agriculture that describes the important role soil plays in the long-term sustainability of crop land. Soil health involves a productive balance of soil chemistry (nutrients), soil physics (structure), and soil biology (soil microorganisms).
Soil fumigation immediately knocks back soil borne disease giving plants their best start.
Suppressed disease allows the native species to rebound in the soil.
This healthy diversity and population of soil microorganisms in the root zone promote plant health and crop production.
Shepody is a short-season russet-skinned variety used for early season processing. Shepody has many of the needed processing characteristics, however, it is notoriously known for a relatively low poor set and low yield. In 2018 in Aroostook County, Maine, Shepody was planted in a grower standard production system (non-fumigated) and ground that had fall applied Strike 85 (115 lb Strike 85/A). Potato plants grown in the Strike 85 treatment produced 80 and 75 cwt/A more total and marketable yield compared to potato plants in the grower standard treatment. Plants in the Strike 85 treatment produced 40 cwt/A more yield in the greater than 10 oz. size class. These yield increases were driven by a set increase in plants in the Strike 85 treatments. These plants produced 16,700 more tubers in a marketable class compared to plants in the non-fumigated areas. Plants grown in Strike 85 produced more tubers plant which translated into an increase of 75 cwt/A turning a relatively poor yielding, early-season, processing variety into a better economic proposition.
| Treatment | Stems/Plant | Specific Gravity | Culls | <1 7⁄8″ | 1 7⁄8″ – 6oz | 6 – 10oz | Bonus >10oz | GRD 1 1 7⁄8″ – 10oz |
Mkt Yield | Total Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedded – Non-Fumigated | 3.1 | 1.086 | 0.0 | 16 | 83 | 120 | 56 | 203 | 259 | 274 |
| Bedded – 115 lb ai Strike 85/A | 3.0 | 1.080 | 0.0 | 20 | 109 | 129 | 95 | 238 | 334 | 354 |
| Difference | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 26 | 9 | 40 | 35 | 75 | 80 |
| T-Test (p value) | 0.077 | — | 0.225 | 0.059 | 0.570 | 0.028 | 0.069 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
Table 2. Shepody Yield Data (tubers/planted A) for the 2018 Soil Fumigation Trial in Aroostook County, Maine
| Treatment | Stems/Plant | Culls | <1 7⁄8″ | 1 7⁄8″ – 6oz | 6 – 10oz | Bonus >10oz | GRD 1 1 7⁄8″ – 10oz |
Mkt Yield | Total Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – 1,000 tubers/A – | |||||||||
| Bedded – Non-Fumigated | 3.1 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 25 | 7 | 55 | 62 | 79 |
| Bedded – 115 lb ai Strike 85/A | 3.0 | 0 | 22 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 67 | 79 | 101 |
| Difference | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 16.7 | 21.6 |
| T-Test (p value) | 0.077 | 0.277 | 0.049 | 0.504 | 0.028 | 0.026 | 0.001 | 0.016 | |