Soil and crop health following soil disinfestation

The concept of plant health is far more than the opposite of plant disease, although relative freedom from disease is necessary. A healthy plant has to grow in a healthy soil, in which the absence of major (clinical) and minor (subclinical) pathogens and a balanced biotic and abiotic environment for plant growth are prerequisites for achieving a balanced system. In addition, soil health has to be sustainable, thus the soil has to maintain a certain level of suppressiveness to protect it from pathogen invasion. Soil health should be achieved with minimal disturbance of the environment and depletion of natural resources. A variety of tests can be used to assess soil health: assessment of pathogen populations, tests for microbial activity and diversity, chemical and physical analyses, biotests and remote sensing techniques. Decision-making tools can be most helpful. Soil disinfestation (alone or combined with other methods) is a very effective tool for improving soil health in pathogen-infested soils or in soil with sickness (fatigue) or replant problems. Beyond pathogen control, soil disinfestation may also improve plant health in noninfested soils. Soil disinfestation should be part of a holistic approach that includes additional means of improving crop and soil health so as not to depend on a single method of management.