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In the Arava desert of Israel, a drip-irrigation system was used to fumigate the soil with methyl bromide for weed control prior to seeding tomatoes. Treatments employed were 2 non-fumigated controls, one with and another without plastic covering, and 3 fumigant applied treatments, all with plastic covering but differing in method and time of aeration. Tomato yields and weed control were significantly higher in fumigated soil although within the various methyl bromide treatments weed control results were similar. Testing for uniformity of methyl bromide gas flow revealed considerable differences in residual bromine occurring between the beginning and the end of the drip lateral. By using an inlet pressure of 0.5 – 1.0 atmospheres, minimal pressure drop along the line was achieved.

Corn (Zea mays L.) grown in the Arava desert of Israel developed more rapidly and produced a higher yield when planted in soil strips which had previously been used for drip-irrigated melons, than when grown in the spaces between strips. Leaching with sprinklers before planting had no effect on the corn grown on the previously drip-irrigated strips, but did significantly effect plant weight and weight of Grade A ears in the area between the previously cultivated strips. Plantings which diagonally intersected the drip-irrigated strips and the spaces between resulted in uneven growth, with better development where the strips were intercepted.