The disinfestation of substrate is an important process for transplanting production and for plant cultivation in pots or boxes. Traditionally, metyl bromide gas has been employed to eliminate microorganisms. However the production of bromide gas in Brazil will be interrupted by the year 2010 and it is necessary to search for new options. We have devised an equipment that utilizes hot steam water at low pressure produced into a boiler machine with the capacity of evaporating 30L/h of water, and heating 2,000 L of substrate contained into a cylindrical metallic box. The steam is applied under the box having a 10 cm layer of gravel covered by a metallic screen with a 2 mm grid allowing the uniform distribution of steam through the substrate. The time necessary to heat the substrate is approximately 3 hours. The heat stored during this period maintains the substrate heated at a temperature sufficient for the microorganisms control during 4 hours after steam application. To test the efficacy of this treatment, we evaluated the survival of Ralstonia solanacearum and Fusarium oxysporum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani. Steam was applied during one hour after the warming period and samples were collected at one, two and three hours after steam application. The heat treatment comprising one hour of steam application was enough to eliminate these microorganisms.
thermotherapy; sterilization
