Soil Pests and Pathogens

Soilborne fungal and bacterial diseases along with pests, such as parasitic nematodes, are a huge management challenge for Washington producers. However, management options such as fumigation are expensive and can kill off beneficial microbial communities that could compete with pathogens. There is still a lot we do not understand about the connections between soil health and disease suppression, but this is an active area of research and it is important to explore the positive and negative trade-offs of soil-building practices for soilborne pest pressures.