Agriculture disinfecting is in a different class than controlled environments like households and hospitals. Things I consider are:
- differences or similarities between human pathogens and plant pathogens
- how environmental temperature can effect disinfectant solutions (70* vs 100* ambient temperature)
- does sun exposure to disinfectant chemical matter (working inside vs outside)?
- what contact time is appropriate?
- does the pH of the solution matter (it does for bleach)
- does the disinfectant ingredient expire? What is its useful life upon utilization?
- is it easy to mix and maintain the correct concentration for maximum effectiveness? (What amount is 1% sodium laureth sulfate in an over the counter soap in terms of measurable quantity? How does that change when diluted with water?)
- how does contamination of organic material influence efficacy of the disinfectant?
Answering these questions with a perspective on real life utilization under agriculture situations against the pathogens at most risk in the crop will have the most influence in the supply.
The point I want to emphasize is disseminating information in a lackadaisical way, or dumbing it down, only causes more harm than good. Giving false confidence that a squirt of soap and water (with no recipe) is protective is short sighted. Studies outside of plant pathogens aren't qualifying enough to base a disease management plan on.
If sodium laureth sulfate is what plant pathology labs are using, then great! I want to know about it. I would LOVE an alternative to bleach. Is WSU using Dawn exclusively in their lab?
Designing a TSWV, TSV, DMV field study measuring NFDM (nonfat dry milk), Dawn Soap, 10% bleach, and Virkon would provide relatable information for the 100s-1000s of small dahlia propagators. All of these products are accessible and affordable.
