ARS also financially supports and collaborates with scientists from the University of California and University of Florida. Back to Top USDA Role USDA has brought together agricultural and forestry leaders from industry, academia, state governments, and the federal government to assess the methyl bromide problem, formulate priorities, and implement research. The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, which administers the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, has funded research on biological control of soilborne disease organisms. The Economic Research Service has developed economic models and conducted other analyses to predict what impact the loss of methyl bromide will have on U.S. farmers and other agricultural businesses. Because potential alternatives must be effective under actual production conditions, ARS is developing, testing, and validating, under California commercial grower conditions, alternative cropping systems for strawberries and perennial crops.
Parallel projects are under way in Florida for vegetables, especially tomatoes.
The Forest Service is participating in an Alternatives to Methyl Bromide Technology Development Program in cooperation with the Florida Division of Forestry, the University of Florida, and the International Paper Company. Back to Top ARS Conducts Preplant Research Research is being conducted at 15 ARS locations to develop alternatives to soil fumigation with methyl bromide to control pathogens and weeds. Although methyl bromide is used to some extent on more than 100 crops, nearly 80 percent of preplant methyl bromide soil fumigation goes to strawberries, tomatoes, ornamentals and nursery crops, and peppers. Alternatives to soil fumigation with methyl bromide include host plant resistance, biological control, alternative chemicals, and different cultural practices, either alone or in combination. Testing of the application of alternative chemicals using irrigation systems.