Combined soil fumigants: Synergistic performance and improved yield

Application of formalin and metam sodium (MS) at reduced rates resulted in a synergistic control of fungal pathogens in the laboratory and in the field in small plot experiments. The effect of combined fumigation was successfully tested also for controlling diseases of tomatoes, melons, peanuts and potatoes. In all experiments, application of MS combined with formalin at 30% of the standard dosage for each fumigant alone resulted in effective control of sudden wilt of melons, crown rot of tomatoes, and Verticillium wilt of potatoes (disease reduction being at the range of 40-80%). The combined fumigant application resulted in increased yield quality and quantity in all experiments. Application of formalin and MS was further validated in large commercial fields with successful results.