Role of Soil Solarization in Management of Soil-Borne Diseases

Nowadays, control of plant pathogens and weeds is more difficult and expensive than in the past. In last decades, due to adoption of inappropriate management methods and excessive use of agrochemicals, the soil fauna and flora threatened. Accordingly, many of ecologists and plant pathologists tried to find some alternative methods of pest and pathogen control. Soil solarization is of these approaches that is widely used against soil pathogens. This is an ecofriendly and safe as well as low cost and efficient method which can be used to control the plant pathogens, pests and weeds. As a part of integrated pest management program, this approach applies the ecological principles to protect the environment and reduce the hazards of pesticides. In this review, we have described the history and benefits of soil solarization and also the principles of this method