chemical has only limited EPA registered uses in the United States. According to McElroy

(1985), it is used for preplant control of most weeds, nematodes, and soil fungi in tobacco

seedbeds, forest tree seedbeds, and ornamental propagating beds (for a brief review of

information derived from the specimen label for Basamid-Granular, refer to Appendix C-l).

 Upon application to the soil, dazomet reacts with water and chemical components in the

soil to produce a sterilizing agent called methylisothiocyanate (MITC) (Neumann et al., 1983).

When dazomet contacts water in the soil, the chemical breaks down to MITC, resulting in the

formation of a gas which then diffuses throughout soil. Most recommended uses suggest that

application be done several months prior to planting to ensure the chemical is not present at time

of planting. Otherwise, some of the chemical may still be residual in soil, resulting in crop

damage. This is often considered a limiting factor due to time constraints for planting crops.

To be effective, Basamid-Granular must be soil incorporated to ensure uniform soil distribution.

 The advantages of dazomet include its ease of application which can be done in one step

and its low environmental impact with no substantial volatile compounds being released into the

atmosphere. Also, application of the granular form is considered low risk to applicators due to

the nature of the chemical being inert until activated by water in soil. Another advantage is that

the control exhibited by this chemical is considered broad in spectrum (O'Brian and

VanBruggen, 1990).

 Some of the disadvantages are that the chemical is less predictable, and it can result in

spotty effectiveness if it is not incorporated well and distributed evenly throughout the soil.

Planting before the soil is properly aerated can result in crop phytoxicity.