Ginger, a root crop, is exposed to attack by soil-borne pathogens, nematodes, insects and weed competition. Chinese farmers produce 300,000 tons (FAO) of this important worldwide spice annually from fields that are fumigated prior to planting. A recent experiment showed that the fumigation with methyl bromide doubled ginger yields…

“Ginger weight per category and total weight were significantly affected by the fumigation programs. In the experiment, the highest yield of extra-large fruit (8.6 t/ha) was obtained in the MeBr treatment, while the lowest was achieved in the non-treated control (3.5 t/ha). … A similar trend was observed for total marketable fruit yield, where the highest yield (76.4 t/ha) was produced in the MeBr treatment plots; [while the lowest yield (48.2 t/ha) was achieved in the control plots].”

Authors: Kang Qiao†, Yukun Zhu†, Hongyan Wang‡, Xiaoxue Ji*, Kaiyun Wang†
Affiliation: †Shandong Agricultural University, ‡Shangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, *Plant Protection and Inspection Station of Feicheng
Title: Effects of 1,3-dichloropropene as a methyl bromide alternative for management of nematode, soil-borne disease, and weed in ginger (Zingiber officinale) crops in China.
Publication: Crop Protection (2012) 32:71-75.