Environmental evaluation of alternative chemicals to methyl bromide for fumigation of quarantine pests in transit

Abstract

The majority of recent quarantine schedules have relied on methyl bromide fumigation. However, due to the phase-out of this fumigant in January 2005 alternative treatments are needed. Four alternative chemical fumigants were tested for their potential to replace methyl bromide as a control agent for Bemisia tabaci, Liriomyza huidobrensis and Frankliniella occidentalis. Phosphine at 2 g/m 3 gave promising results at 15°C with complete mortality of all insects after 24 h exposure. Sulphuryl fluoride, ethyl formate and acetaldehyde caused severe damage to plant foliage after only 4 h exposure. However, sulphuryl fluoride produced 100 % mortality of L. huidobrensis pupae after only 2 h exposure. In a large scale test using phosphine 2 g/m 3 at 15°C complete mortality of L. huidobrensis eggs and pupae was recorded after a 24 h exposure. However, only 98.5 and 86 % mortality of B. tabaci eggs and F. occidentalis eggs, respectively, was recorded after this treatment. Treatments with phosphine produced no significant detrimental effects on subsequent plant growth. The potential of these chemicals to act as alternatives to methyl bromide as quarantine fumigants is discussed.

Susceptibility of the Cigarette Beetle Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius) to Phosphine, Ethyl Formate and Their Combination, and the Sorption and Desorption of Fumigants on Cured Tobacco Leaves

“…Lee et al [ 23 ] reported a high mortality rate of 62.4% for Sitophilus oryzae (mixed age) treated with 67.4 mg/L EF for 6 h. These high concentrations render EF are economically disadvantageous for use in the field. However, studies examining the combination of PH 3 + EF against Aphis gossypii , Lipaphis erysimi , Myzus persicae , Planococcus citri and T. urticae showed that the combined treatment required reduced fumigant concentrations and treatment times compared to individual fumigant treatment [ 17 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. This study investigated the insecticidal effect of PH 3 + EF against L. serricorne using a range of EF concentrations, and treatment at 50 mg/L EF for 4 h showed a mortality rate of 88% or more for all stages.…”

Quantifying the effects of anaerobic soil disinfestation and other biological soil management strategies on nitrous oxide emissions from raised bed plasticulture tomato production

“…Introduced as a pesticide in 1932 and registered in the United States in 1961, MBr has been widely used as a soil fumigant in tomato production systems in Florida since the late 1970s to control weeds and to manage a variety of other soil-dwelling pests, including nematodes, fungi, and insects (Carpenter et al, 2000;Ristaino & Thomas, 1997). Since MBr was phased out in 2005 as an ozone-depleting substance, alternative chemical fumigants (Cuthbertson et al, 2013;Leon et al, 2009;Qiao et al, 2015;Rosskopf et al, 2005;Schneider et al, 2006) and nonchemical alternatives have been explored (Fernandez-Bayo et al, 2018;Rosskopf et al, 2005Rosskopf et al, , 2020. Chloropicrin and 1,3-dichloropropene are two primary chemical substitutes for MBr and often are used in a mixture to enhance the efficacy of control against soil-borne pests and diseases (Minuto et al, 2006).…”