A Comparison Among Four Commonly Used Soil Fumigation Techniques in a Wisconsin Bareroot Seedling Nursery
In 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources initiated a study comparing several soil fumigant options in a side-by-side trial at the Wilson State Nursery. A 77:33 ratio of methyl bromide/chloropicrin (MBC33) was the operational treatment, as this was the soil fumigant historically used at Wilson Nursery with consistent success. The alternatives tested were metam sodium, 100-percent chloropicrin, and a no fumigation control. Three replicates of each treatment were sown with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), red pine (P. resinosa Aiton), white pine (P. strobus L.), and white oak (Quercus alba L.). Germination was evaluated weekly in each treatment plot. At lifting, seedlings were measured for height, stem diameter, shoot dry mass, and root dry mass. In addition, weed mass was measured in each plot. Germination was relatively poor in all plots due to erratic weather conditions that season. Weed biomass was least in methyl bromide plots. Seedlings were largest in chloropicrin and methyl bromide plots. This paper was presented at the 2019 Joint Annual Meeting of the Northeast and Southern Forest Conservation Nursery Associations (Atlantic City, NJ, July 23–25, 2019).
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Author(s): Roger A. Bohringer
Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 63, Number 2 (2020)
Volume: 63
Number: 2