Flame Heat Treatment with flame can be applied in several ways:

1. Weed control, surface sterilisation of the soil and elimination of insects in pre-crop emergence (after sowing phase)

2. weed control, surface soil sterilisation and elimination of insects in post-emergence of the crop (both on the row and on the surface in its entirety)

3. Weeding, soil surface sterilisation and elimination of insects in pre-seeding or pre-transplanting of the crop

4. Removal of crop residue, insects and soil surface sterilisation after harvesting

5. Surface sterilization of the soil and the lower part of the walls with the elimination of insects in poultry farming

The different application methodologies are a consequence of varying factors:

• Soil characteristics influence the spread of direct heat and contribute to variations in treatment efficiency. These characteristics include: the structure of the soil, its thermal conductivity and the presence of moisture in it, its temperature and its porosity. The effectiveness of the treatment is always determined by the amount of heat transferred from the burner and the length of time the flame remains on the soil surface. Excessively prolonged exposure of the soil to high temperatures normally produces negative and costly effects in proportion to the amount of heat used.

• The temperature of the air in the room where the treatment is carried out and the percentage of humidity present in it.

• The different physical characteristics of the crops to be treated (presence of silicon, overlapping leaves at the base of the plant, bark on the outside, etc.). The morphological and structural characteristics of some crops give them a certain resistance to heat and allow post-emergency interventions without causing damage to production. In some cases the technique of heat treatment with flame can be located on the crop row, using appropriate jets of air as shielding, combining it to the weeding operation applied to the inter-row of the crop. In this case the adjustment of the angles of the burners and air jets under the crop canopy is essential for the success of the intervention.

• The period of the year in which the processing takes place. The importance of this period is also considerable in relation to the type of crop to be produced, in the case of pre-emergence or pre-seeding heat treatment of the crop. In both cases, the time and scale of germination and the emergence of weeds on the soil surface determine a different intervention methodology and a different approach to the sowing or transplanting phase.

• The methods of transplanting or sowing greatly affect the result that can be achieved with the treatment. The main rule to always observe is to minimize the movement of the soil after heat treatment with flame or cancel its effect

• The life cycle of the crop to be treated can affect in a very important way the correct application or not of the treatment.

• Soil surface sterilisation and pest control on poultry, hen or pheasant farms. In the case of night housing for animals, sterilization is also carried out in the side walls of sheds up to a height of 50-60 cm from the floor