Inundating the field can control certain crop pests. Many pests and diseases will not survive long in an inundated soil. The number of germs of soil borne disease will be reduced and pupae and larval stages of Lepidoptera and other pests will be killed.
Other examples include the root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne sp.). Populations of these nematodes will be reduced dramatically if the soil inundation is used for a sufficiently long period (3 to 4 weeks or longer).