Solarization of strawberry crops in Huelva, Spain

Spain supplies;more than 10% of the world production of strawberries and provides nearly all strawberries of the European Community during the first months of the year Huelva's coast is the main strawberry area in Europe, with more than 6.000 ha in monoculture which are mostly dedicated to export. The use of methyl bromide (MB) in the province of Huelva in 1495 was 1,188 t, including 497 t in nurseries, which corresponds to more than 40% of the Spanish consumption. The discovery of the destructive capacity of the ozone layer by MB requires the urgent substitution of this product. The practice of soil solarization for strawberry cultivation is being adopted by some farmers in the province of Huelva, and it is possible that solarization, together with other techniques such as the biofumigation or low doses of chemicals, will become important alternatives to MB.