Treatment of soil against pathogens:

Soil solarization

• Suitable Time Period:May-June as temperature rises up to 45^oC at this time.
• Wet the soil with water, or saturate it with water
• Spread white polythene of 200 gauges on the whole nursery area for about 5-6 weeks.
• The margin of the polythene should be covered by wet soil (compressed mud) to check the entry of air.
• After 5-6 weeks remove the polythene sheet
• Prepare the beds for seed sowing.

Formalin Solution treatment: Formalin dust treatment

• This treatment should be done 15-20 days before seed sowing.
• Prepare formalin solution (1.5 to 2%) in one container and drench the soil @ 4-5 litre of water per square meter soil surface to saturate it up to a depth of 15-20 cm.
• Cover the drench area with polythene sheet of 200 gauge.
• Put the wet soil on the margin of the covered polythene sheet so as it does not allow the polythene film blown away by the wind and air from the covered area to out side.
• Removes the cover (polythene) after 15 days.
• Prepare the beds for seed sowing.

Application of fungicides:

• Generally used fungicides: Captan, Thiram which kill the soil borne pathogens.
• Use 5-6 g of any of the fungicides per square meter nursery area.

Insect Control:

• Reason of such application:   Presence of certain insect pest and their egg or secondary stage insects present in the soil which can infect the seedlings in the later stage.
•  To save the seedlings against them, some insecticides are also used as soil treatment. Recommended insecticide is Chlorpyriphos @ 2 ml/ liter of water.
• depth of 15 to 20 cm in the nursery soil and then prepared the beds for seed sowing.

Steam treatment:     

• Hot steam can be used to treat the soil against harmful insect pest.
• For this, cover the required area with the help of polythene sheet and stop the movement of air in the covered area.
• Supply the hot steam for at least 4-6 hours continuously.
• This way all the harmful pathogen and insect pest will be killed.