Solarization is a non-chemical control method that uses the sun's heat to control soil-borne pathogens (disease organisms) and pests (such as nematodes and soil insect larvae).  The moist soil is covered with a plastic sheet for 2, 3 or more weeks (depending on the weather) during the hottest part of the year. The temperature under the plastic increases to more than 50^oC, which kills many fungi and nematode structures present in the soil, i.e mycelium, conidia, chlamydospores, sclerotia, nematode cysts, etc. This method has been found to be effective in reducing pathogen populations up to depth of 20 cm  from the soil surface.

The thickness of the plastic is important to prevent evaporation and to reach the desired temperature. For control of Fusarium spp. plastic sheet with 0.27 mm thickness was found to be adequate.