Abstract
The Montreal Protocol has been very effective in reducing the consumption of the major ozone depleting chemical, methyl bromide (MB), and represents an excellent model for future phaseout of other environmentally damaging products, such as those involved with climate change. Over a ten year period, 85% of MB (c. 45,000 tonnes) used for preplant soil fumigation has been phased out and a wide range of chemical and non chemical technologies adopted for disease and weed control in agriculture. Restrictions on the use of MB have stimulated new research and knowledge on: (1) soil health and relationships between soil microbial diversity and crop growth, and (2) new crop protection agents and production systems that moderate the need for harsh pesticides in agriculture. This has also led to increased use of substrate systems, grafting and plant resistance for disease control which, in most cases, avoid the need for soil disinfestation. Also other fumigants, such as 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3D)/chloropicrin (Pic), metham sodium, iodomethane (MI)/Pic, drip applied fumigants and barrier films have been adopted by growers as alternatives strategies for soil disinfestation. Implementation of a wide range of alternatives has led to a 50% fall in anthropogenic bromine in the troposphere and 30% reduction in effective chlorine load to date in the stratosphere. This has been hugely significant to the start of ozone layer recovery which should be observed within the next few years. Internationally, pressure is mounting to restrict use of all fumigants worldwide (EC Reg 2037/US Cluster Analysis) and this will further stimulate new technologies for plant disease control. There are also moves to restrict MB, approx. 10,300 tonnes a year, used for quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS). The pressure on fumigant use globally is stimulating development of more sustainable crop protection, biosecurity and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
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Porter, I., Banks, J., Mattner, S., Fraser, P. (2010). Global Phaseout of Methyl Bromide Under the Montreal Protocol: Implications for Bioprotection, Biosecurity and the Ozone Layer. In: Gisi, U., Chet, I., Gullino, M. (eds) Recent Developments in Management of Plant Diseases. Plant Pathology in the 21st Century, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8804-9_21
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