Method of suspending weed growth in soil

Abstract

Introducing chlorine dioxide solution into an agricultural soil in an amount effective to suspend weed and pathogen growth in the soil. The chlorine dioxide is allowed to decompose in the soil. Then, a crop is planted in the treated soil. The decomposed chlorine dioxide provides nutrients for the crops as they grow.

1 . A method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, comprising introducing chlorine dioxide into the soil in an amount effective to suspend weed and pathogen growth in the soil, allowing the chlorine dioxide to decompose in the soil, and then planting a crop in the treated soil bed. 
   
   
       2 . A method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 1 , including preparing the chlorine dioxide by forming a water and acid first solution and adding it to a water and sodium chlorite second solution, allowing sufficient contact time to convert the combined solutions into chlorine dioxide, and then introducing the chlorine dioxide into the soil. 
   
   
       3 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 2 , comprising forming the first solution by combining water, PBTC and hydrochloric acid, wherein the chlorine dioxide that is formed decomposes into oxygen, water, sodium chloride and phosphorus. 
   
   
       4 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 1 , including providing a water component in the soil sufficient to cause the weed seeds to become active and more susceptible to the growth suspending defects of the chlorine dioxide. 
   
   
       5 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 1 , further comprising covering the soil bed for at least a part of the time that the chlorine dioxide is decomposing in the soil. 
   
   
       6 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 2 , further comprising covering the soil for at least a part of the time that the chlorine dioxide is decomposing in the soil. 
   
   
       7 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 3 , further comprising covering the soil for at least a part of the time that the chlorine dioxide is decomposing in the soil. 
   
   
       8 . The method of growing a crop in an agricultural soil bed, according to  claim 4 , further comprising covering the soil bed for at least a part of the time that the chlorine dioxide solution is decomposing in the soil. 
   
   
       9 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, according to  claim 1 , comprising admixing the chlorine dioxide to water and applying the water to the soil that is to be treated. 
   
   
       10 . The method of growing a crop in agricultural soil, including saturating the soil bed with the mixture of irrigation water and the chlorine dioxide.