Biofumigation – use of specialized cover crops in plant protection

Biofumigation is a method of controlling soil-born pests based on the cultivation of plant species that produce inhibitory chemical compounds, known as secondary metabolites. The biofumigant effect was found in plants from the Brassicaceae family, which contain glucosinolates in their tissues. In most cases, biofumigant species are sown as cover crops in the meantime between commercial crops, grown and crushed and incorporated into the soil during the flowering phase, in order to release isothiocyanates in the hydrolysis process. Isothiocyanates are the active substance of synthetic preparations. Numerous studies indicate that biofumigation leads to a significant reduction in pest populations, the symptoms they cause, and increases in yield and quality. For the purpose of biofumigation, seed flours of biofumigant species in the formulation of powder or pellets are also used. In addition to protecting commercial crops from pests, growing biofumigant crops provides other benefits to the treated area, such as improving the soil structure, preventing soil compaction or soil erosion by water or wind, improving nutrient utilization in the soil, enriching the soil with organic matter and increasing populations of some beneficial microorganisms. To improve the use of biofumigation, it is necessary to conduct research in specific pedoclimatic conditions of the Republic of Croatia and education of producers, to integrate this environmentally friendly method of plant protection into organic and integrated agricultural production.