Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effects of CO₂ enriched air and soil tillage on greenhouse solarization

Author(s):

Sertan Sesveren ^1*, Cevat Kırda ², Harun Kaman ³

Recieved Date: 2010-10-01, Accepted Date: 2011-01-12

Abstract:

High soil temperatures achieved with solarization practice used in greenhouses may prevent diseases infested from soils with soil pathogens. Physical manipulations like tillage, increasing soil water content and addition of organic residues to soil increase effectiveness of solarization by way of facilitating downward heat flux and increasing temperature in subsoil. A two-year work assessing importance of soil tillage, soil wetting and CO₂ enriched air (for simulating organic residue addition to soil) on solarization was carried out in glass and plastic greenhouses (1 glass and 2 of plastic) with clay and sandy soils in Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. Four treatments were tested: (1) with tillage (T), (2) no tillage (NT), (3) with tillage and CO₂ addition (TCO₂) and (4) no tillage and no CO₂ addition (NTCO₂). The CO₂ enrichment of air under plastic mulch covering soil during the solarization was done using dry ice (i.e. CO₂). The levels of the highest temperatures attained under different treatments during solarization period were assessed and recorded. The results showed that the highest temperature was recorded throughout the complete solarization period under the treatment with soil tillage and CO₂ addition (TCO₂) over all soil depths (5, 20 and 35 cm). The mean highest temperatures recorded for 30 days of solarization period did not exhibit any consistent trend in clay soils (Greenhouse 1 and 2) whereas the ranking of the treatments TCO₂>T>NT>NTCO₂ was maintained in sandy soil (Greenhouse 3). The highest temperature attained in Greenhouses 1 and 2, with soils of clay texture, and 3 with soil of sandy texture, at soil depths of 5, 20 and 35 cm were 55.4, 45.3 and 41.4°C; 56.8, 46.6 and 42.7°C; 56.6, 48.4 and 44.7°C, respectively. While the CO₂ enrichment increased soil temperature only at 5 cm depth, close to soil surface, no significant (P<0.05) benefit was observed at deeper soil depths of 20 and 35 cm. Increase of mean maximum temperature with CO₂ addition was of the order 1 to 3.5°C in clay soils (Greenhouse 1 and 2) and 1.2°C in sandy soils (Greenhouse 3). Additionally it was noted that addition of CO₂ provided no benefit under no tillage conditions (NTCO₂). While temperature at 5 cm soil depth was over 50°C at frequencies of 65 to 95% during 23 days of solarization period, it was not over 45°C at 35 cm soil depth. The results showed that the high soil temperatures obtained with solarization under climatic conditions of Eastern Mediterranean may be adequate to eliminate soil-borne diseases without the need of using chemicals such as methyl bromide.

Keywords:

Solarization, greenhouse, soil heating, soil temperature, soil tillage, CO₂, dry ice

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2011
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Category: Environment
Pages: 550-556

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