Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation Aids Organic Strawberry Growers in Improving Yield

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) is helping organic strawberry growers in California raise healthier plants without fumigants. University of California Cooperative extension staff members have been experimenting with the technique and found that it helps organic growers combat both weeds and soil diseases. The three-step ASD process was used on about half of California’s organic strawberry land in 2023, and it helped growers achieve yields comparable to conventional, fumigated strawberries. ASD creates a soil environment that suppresses pathogens and weeds. One challenge as the popularity of ASD grows has been finding enough rice bran for the first step of the process. Scientists looking for alternatives found that wheat middlings and dried distillers’ grains work nearly as well, at less cost than rice bran.
Related ATTRA publication: Soil Solarization and Biosolarization