Question: farmer asking query regarding soil drenching of nursery bed.
Answer: to make the soil free from soil-borne disease causing pathogens (most common disease in the nursery is the ‘damping-off’) drench the bed with 0.1% solution of captan or fytolan or formalin 4% solution so as to saturate the soil upto a depth of 10-15 cm. keep in covered, immediately after treating, with polythene sheet or gunny bag or thick paper for 2 days. uncover the soil and get it loosened and leave it as such for 3 to 4 days.