Application and prospects of biofumigation for smallholder horticultural production in Asia

Biofumigation presents itself as a very important option for management of a range of soil-borne diseases, nematodes and insect-pests, which otherwise seriously affect the health of horticultural crops. Cost of available management options is economically and ecologically expensive with limited success at field crop level. The various practices of achieving biofumigaiton e.g. in situ incorporation, use of pellets, use of oil cakes, are very amenable to the smallholders but its potentials are yet to be fully realized. The review will begin with an overview of application of the biofumigation in horticultural production, the successes and challenges. Followed to that various methods and sources that could be utilized for biofumigation would be discussed and finally some examples of its use from Asia will be provided. The paper will conclude by providing its prospects in the context of smallholder horticultural production in Asia with concluding remarks on total ban on Methyl Bromide, a widely used soil fumigant, post 2015.