The soil fumigant metam sodium continues to be important in managing soilborne pests of potato such as Verticillium dahliae, the primary cause of early dying, and the root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans). Recent label changes resulting from the reregistration of metam sodium by the EPA have made the application of the fumigant through water applications very difficult due to the requirement of large buffer zones to reduce human and animal exposure to the chemical. As a result, there has been a dramatic increase in the application of metam sodium via shank injection, which is not as efficacious as water applications. This presentation will discuss the most recent research conducted at North Dakota State University on improving the efficacy of shank injection of metam sodium.
