Methyl Bromide Methyl bromide is a chemical used to control a broad spectrum of pests. In the early 1990's, scientists identified methyl bromide as one of the substances contributing to ozone depletion and, in response, the parties which form the Montreal Protocol agreed to a global phase-out programme. Achieving this phase-out is one of the last remaining challenges to achieve ozone layer protection. Fortunately, the methyl bromide phase-out also offers a win-win situation for horticulture, the environment and human health as carefully chosen alternative techniques can be cost-effective, protect the ozone layer and improve employee safety at the same time. UNEP's Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee has identified effective alternatives to methyl bromide use and many of those are in commercial use around the world. This phase-out will require a shift towards more environmentally sustainable horticultural practices. For growers of food crops (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) and ornamentals, growing in stonewool is a very successful alternative. The benefits to growers are a significant increase in yields in addition to increased quality and uniformity. The rockwool alternative Growers of food crops, eg, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries and ornamentals, eg, potted flowering and foliage plants, which are grown in stonewool or stonewool-amended soilless media have realised significant increases in yields (20% to 50%) in addition to increased quality and uniformity. Those increases have led not only to greater profit per acre but also to lower labour costs as less grading of the products is required. The natural stonewool, which is made from volcanic rock, melted and spun into fibers, allows greater air flow and a greater quantity of water and nutrients than is found in soil. These fibers act as a reservoir for air, water and nutrients. This enables growers to control the growth of their crops with a much greater level of precision than ever before, thus creating higher yields. As a result of this process being completely free of pathogens and pests and the fact that normal growing procedures will keep them that way, there is no need for expensive sterilisation. Growing in stonewool takes place in the controlled environment of a greenhouse, therefore, the usage of pesticides is greatly reduced. The use of biological pest control has become a reality for many commercial growers. In addition, as a result of the fact that stonewool does not react with most fungicides, growers can take advantage of the more efficient use of active ingredients and reduce their fungicide concentrations, sometimes by as much as 85%. An increasingly important matter of concern to growers is that of ground water contamination. Conventional production methods in soil inevitably lead to ground water contamination by applied ferilizers and other chemicals. Another area of concern is the availability and the rising cost of land for agriculture. Growing crops in stonewool allows growers greater flexibility in choosing a production site as well as requiring less total area for the same amount of crops than if they were grown in soil. As populations increase, the relative cost of land will increase proportionately more for crops grown in soil when compared to those grown in stonewool. The experiences of growers using stonewool give us a good idea of the possibilities with this production method. This growing technique has proven to be cost effective up until now and will continue to become more cost effective in the future.