Fumigated and Non-Fumigated

The disease known as cylindrocladium black rot (CBR) grows best in cool soils and is a major problem in the Virginia and North Carolina peanut regions. Entire pods may turn black and rot. The fungus may survive several years in the soil. Disease incidences in excess of 80% have occurred. The soil fumigant, metam sodium applied 8-10 inches below rows at least two weeks prior to planting has been the standard recommendation for control of CBR since 1985. Recently, the USEPA conducted a study of the value of metam sodium for peanuts and concluded that…

“Thus, the main benefit of metam sodium is that it permits cultivation of peanuts that would otherwise not be economically viable. …a large proportion of peanut acreage in the North Carolina-Virginia region depends on metam sodium simply to make production economically viable.”

Authors: A. Chiri, and T. J. Wyatt
Affiliations: EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs, Biological and Economic Analysis Division.
Title: Assessment of the Benefits of Soil Fumigation with Metam Sodium in Peanut Production.
Publication: U.S. EPA. (2007). Assessment of the benefits of soil fumigation with metam sodium in peanut production (DP#337490). Available at http://www.regulations.gov/#!home