Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Plant and Environmental Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Matthew Cutulle
Committee Member
Brian Ward
Committee Member
Michael Marshall
Committee Member
Bhupinder Farmaha
Committee Member
William Bridges
Abstract
Currently used weed control options are expensive and limited for organic watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] production due to lack of effective practices and the absence of organic herbicides. The available options are either expensive or not very effective. Available organic herbicides are also not labelled for watermelon which increases the risk of crop damage. Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) are problematic weed in the Southeastern vegetable plasticulture production system and cause significant yield loss in watermelon. Weed management in organic watermelon production requires alternative and sustainable practices. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) has shown potential to fit into organic production. ASD is a promising soil fumigation practice to control weed and soilborne pathogens. The research focused on evaluating various locally available carbon sources and plastic mulches for ASD on weed control, evaluating the performance of cottonseed meal (a promising locally available carbon source), broccoli waste under field conditions, and evaluating the Rhizobacteria SC-27 (a mix of Streptomyces spp.) treatments whether SC-27 addition improved crop vigor and performance under ASD. A series of high tunnel, greenhouse and field experiments were conducted at the United States Department of Agriculture Vegetable Laboratory, Clemson University Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC), and Edisto REC. The objective of the first study was to evaluate watermelon genotypes and weed response to ASD treatments in organic watermelon production. The second study was conducted to determine the best plastic mulch for ASD. The third study was carried out to evaluate the grafted and nongrafted watermelon response to ASD and Rhizobacteria SC-27 application. The fourth study was set up to evaluate and compare the response of a locally available carbon sources cottonseed meal with Florida standard carbon sources chicken manure and molasses. The results suggested that ASD treatments significantly improved weed control and suppressed the emergence of yellow nutsedge. ASD also enhanced the watermelon crop vigor and marketable yield. Cottonseed meal (a locally available carbon source) can be utilized in ASD practice to manage weeds in organic watermelon production in South Carolina. Future research should explore the effects of ASD on long-term weed seed bank management.
Recommended Citation
Chattha, Muhammad Sohaib, "Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Sustainable Weed Management Practice in Organic Watermelon Production in South Carolina" (2025). All Dissertations. 4086.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4086