Soil solarization.
Katan, J. and J.E. DeVay (eds.)

CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 267 pp. 1991

This new text, hot off the press, serves both as a review of the literature and as a handbook on the technological and practical aspects of soil solarization. University of California contributors include Carl Bell, Frank Laemmlen and Jim Stapleton (Farm Advisors-UC Cooperative Extension), James DeVay (Professor-UC Davis Plant Pathology) and Clyde Elmore (Extension Specialist-UC Davis Botany).

The book is divided into four sections. The first, Soil Solarization as a Control Method, provides an overview of the population dynamics of soil pathogens and reviews the types of organisms that can be controlled through solarization. Specific chapters in this section address the effects of solarization on pathogens, nematodes, and weeds. Section II describes the physical, microbial, and chemical changes in solarized soil that destroy or suppress various pests. The third section titled Technology and Application, reviews the material and technical requirements for successful solarization. This section also includes a chapter on the economic evaluation of soil solarization. Section IV is titled Implementation of Soil Solarization in Different Cropping Systems. The chapters in this section report how solarization has been used in various locations worldwide. One chapter by UC farm advisors Carl Bell and Frank Laemmlen describes the use of soil solarization in the Imperial Valley. The book is priced at a steep $130.00, but if you are interested, it will soon be available at the UC Davis library.

(DEC.328) Contributed by David Chaney