a fumigant normally used in soil sterilization

a fumigant normally used in soil sterilization

Solar, chemical, heat and radiation

Historically, a common method described in literature was "to sow salt." In practice this does not actually work, as salt is soluable and easily carried away by rain.

Soil is partially sterlized through the use of herbicides, such as Agent Orange or Round Up. Covering patches of soil with black plastic is another method of sterilization that does not require adding chemicals. Herbicides are often sprayed along road ways and side walks to prevent the roots of trees and brush from cracking the concrete or pavement. Of course, covering land with asphalt is another effective "sterilization" technique.

Finally, if one can afford the energy, running soil through an autoclave will sterilize it. This might be done for certain biology experiments in university laboratories. Soil is not typically autoclaved for regular agricultural use.

The purpose of the Sterilization Process is the destruction of all pathogenic organisms together with spoilage/non-pathogenic microorganisms, to achieve the Safe Preservation at Room Temperature of treated products.