Many Georgia farmers rely on a product called methyl bromide to help them produce high-quality crops. But soon they'll have to use something else.

And they're not sure what will work as well.

"The U.S. Clean Air Act mandated that methyl bromide be eliminated from use in the United States by the year 2001," said Alex Csinos, a plant pathologist with the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station.

Farmers fumigate soil with methyl bromide gas. They inject it into soil covered with plastic to get rid of pests. Then they seed the field to tobacco or vegetable crops such as squash, peppers, tomatoes and cabbage.

Csinos said methyl bromide controls a broad range of insects, weeds, nematodes and disease-causing organisms at fairly low cost.

But the Environmental Protection Agency found a problem. As methyl bromide moves from treated soil into the atmosphere, it breaks down ozone molecules that help protect us from the sun's ultraviolet rays. So farmers have to find other products.

Csinos, other UGA researchers and U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists have worked together for about four years to find a replacement.

"At this point, the results look very good," he said. "We have found some materials that are already approved by EPA for soil injection. And their activity is almost equal to or, in some cases, even better than methyl bromide."

A bonus for farmers is that the other products cost less, too, when used in effective combinations. Farmers can apply them, Csinos said, at half to two-thirds the cost of methyl bromide.

One way methyl bromide is better, though, is time. It works quickly and escapes fast once the farmer removes the plastic. The alternatives may take longer. And that can require more management and planning.

"But farmers can apply it themselves instead of hiring custom applicators," Csinos said. "And these alternative chemicals and combinations have been shown to have no effect on the ozone layer."

Georgians can benefit from the new chemicals in a number of ways.

They'll be able to get fresh vegetables without worrying about whether farmers have damaged their environment to grow them.

And they'll keep on getting the high-quality, disease-free produce they're used to.

Georgia farmers will reduce the harmful chemicals they have to use. And they'll pay less to do it.

"Our trials on chemicals to replace methyl bromide have been quite successful," said Csinos. "We don't have a choice about changing. And we're working to change to a safe chemical that's as effective and less expensive.