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Loss of phosphine from unsealed bins of wheat at six combinations of grain temperature and grain moisture content.

Hard red winter wheat (1.4 t) at 11.1 or 13.5% moisture content (wet basis) and 20, 25, or 30 degrees C was fumigated with tablets of an aluminum phosphide formulation in unsealed, cylindrical grain bins of corrugated metal. The fumigant leakage rate was manipulated to approximate that commonly encountered in farm and commercial-scale bins of this type. Phosphine concentration profiles were recorded and phosphine loss and sorption were characterized to determine which conditions provided the greatest probability of successful fumigation in these bins. Phosphine leakage and sorption were both positively related to grain temperature and moisture content. The fumigant concentration profiles were compared with previously-published data relating temperature to the developmental rate and fumigant susceptibility of lesser grain borer eggs, which are phosphine-resistant but become less resistant as they age. The mean phosphine concentration observed at the time corresponding to one-half of the calculated egg development time was compared to the lethal concentration (LC(99)) for a 2-day exposure at each temperature-moisture combination. In the low-moisture grain at 20 degrees C, the observed fumigant concentration was below the lethal concentration, due to the long development time under these conditions. At 25 and 30 degrees C in the low-moisture wheat, the likelihood of complete kill appeared more favorable because the fumigant concentration remained above the published LC(99) for more than half of the egg development time. In the wheat with 13.5% moisture content, rapid fumigant sorption and loss resulted in phosphine concentrations below the LC(99) at one-half of the development time at 20 or 25 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, due to the very rapid development rate, the observed phosphine concentration exceeded the LC(99) half-way through the egg development period despite the rapid rate of fumigant sorption and loss. Repeated fumigation of the same grain reduced the rate at which phosphine sorbed into the grain.

Journal Article↗

Sulfuryl fluoride as a quarantine treatment for Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in regulated wood packing material.

The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), was probably introduced into the United States from China with solid wood packing and dunnage during the 1980s, and it has recently become established in limited infestations near several major cities in the United States. Regulated wood packing material (RWPM) arriving in the United States from China is required to undergo fumigation with methyl bromide (MeBr), to be heat treated, or kiln dried. Sulfuryl fluoride (SF) is a candidate fumigant to replace MeBr under certain conditions. SF fumigations were conducted in 432-liter Lexan chambers held in a 6.1-m (20-foot) refrigerated container for temperature control. Each fumigation consisted of 12 Populus spp. 10- by 10- by 115-cm timbers, of high moisture content, naturally infested with Asian longhorned beetle. During 2001, we fumigated wood for 24 h at a range of doses (20-112 g/m3) and temperatures (4.4, 10.0, 15.6, and 21.1 degrees C) and subjected the data to probit analysis. Confirmatory fumigations were conducted at doses of 120 and 104 g/m3 at temperatures of 10.0 and 15.6 or 21.1 degrees C, respectively, which resulted in complete kill of all larvae. Pupae that became available later in the year as temperatures warmed were fumigated at 15.6 and 21.1 degrees C with 104 g/m3, which resulted in complete pupal mortality. The next year (2002), we conducted 24-h fumigations with doses of 116 g/m3 at 4.4 and 10.0 degrees C with cold-harvested wood infested with cold-acclimated larvae. Cold-acclimated larvae required much higher concentration times time (CxT) product for control at 4.4 and 10.0 degrees C compared with nonacclimated larvae. Sulfuryl fluoride treatments at a dose of 104 g/m3 and temperature of 15.6 degrees C and above and that achieved a CxT product of 1,095 g-h/m3 or above are recommended for RWPM infested with Asian longhorned beetle larvae and pupae.

Animals↗

Responses to ozone of insects feeding on a crop and a weed species.

The influence of ozone on insect herbivore growth and population development was investigated. Fumigation of both pea (Pisum sativum L.) and dock (Rumex obtusifolius L.) at a range of O(3) concentrations between 21-206 nl litre(-1) produced changes in mean relative growth rates of the aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris and Aphis rumicis L. of between 24 and -6% relative to controls. However, there was no evidence of a dose-related response to O(3) fumigation and no clear differences in aphid response when fumigated with the plant on prefumigated or previously unfumigated plant material. It is suggested that this may, in part, be due to the presence of NO contamination during O(3) fumigation. However, the MRGR of dock aphids was found to be greater on new compared to old leaves as well as the increase on the new growth and decrease on the old growth of fumigated plants relative to unfumigated controls. The size of egg batches of the chrysomelid beetle Gastrophysa viridula Degeer were found to be larger, survival and productivity of larvae was higher, and the food consumption lower on R. obtusifolius fumigated with 70 nl litre(-1) O(3) compared with unfumigated controls. This meant that these beetle larvae consumed less leaf area per mg of production on fumigated leaves probably because of their better nutritional quality and/or reduced leaf defences. However, the rate of development of larvae was similar on fumigated and control plants.

Journal Article↗

Benzothiadiazole-induced resistance modulates ozone tolerance.

The effects of ozone on bean plants pretreated with the SAR activator benzothiadiazole (BTH) have been investigated after fumigations with an acute dose of the pollutant (200 nL x L(-1) for 4 h), carried out at different times from BTH application. BTH pretreatment induced opposite effects on bean susceptibility to O(3), depending on the time elapsed before fumigation. When this time was only 1-2 days, bean plants were more susceptible to O(3) than untreated controls, showing rapid and extensive cell death in both palisade and spongy mesophyll. These damages appeared to be closely correlated with the amount and localization of H(2)O(2) in the leaf tissues. In BTH-pretreated, but not fumigated, plants, H(2)O(2) accumulation occurred in the cell walls and no dead cells were detected, whereas O(3) fumigation of untreated plants produced H(2)O(2) accumulation also inside some palisade mesophyll cells, causing their death. When BTH pretreatments were carried out 5-7 days before fumigation, plants appeared to be more tolerant to O(3) compared to untreated controls. Under these conditions, no visible symptoms of phytotoxicity were observed for at least 2 weeks after fumigation and no H(2)O(2) accumulation was detected. Biochemical assays showed a significant increase in the ascorbate (AA) level, taking place from the fifth to the seventh day after BTH treatment and unaffected by O(3) when given at these times. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity appeared to decrease during the first 2 days after BTH treatment, and the decrease was somewhat enhanced by fumigation. On the contrary, guaiacol peroxidase (GuPX) activity was found to steadily increase up to the fifth day after BTH treatment but showed a bimodal trend upon fumigation. These results suggest that, during the first 1-2 days after BTH application, the H(2)O(2) level is enhanced by O(3) over a critical threshold for cell viability. However, in the absence of the pollutant, H(2)O(2) decreases in the following days under the effect of AA accumulation and increased GuPX activity. As GuPX is known to promote cell wall lignification and protein cross-linking, these effects would protect plasmalemma from O(3) irreversible damage, provided the priming by BTH has been fully developed.

Cell Death↗

Role of Ascorbate in Detoxifying Ozone in the Apoplast of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Leaves.

Both reduced and oxidized ascorbate (AA and DHA) are present in the aqueous phase of the extracellular space, the apoplast, of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves. Fumigation with 0.3 [mu]L L-1 of ozone resulted in ozone uptake by the leaves close to 0.9 pmol cm-2 of leaf surface area s-1. Apoplastic AA was slowly oxidized by ozone. The initial decrease of apoplastic AA was <0.1 pmol cm-2 s-1. The apoplastic ratio of AA to (AA + DHA) decreased within 6 h of fumigation from 0.9 to 0.1. Initially, the concentration of (AA + DHA) did not change in the apoplast, but when fumigation was continued, DHA increased and AA remained at a very low constant level. After fumigation was discontinued, DHA decreased very slowly in the apoplast, reaching control level after 70 h. The data show that insufficient AA reached the apoplast from the cytosol to detoxify ozone in the apoplast when the ozone flux into the leaves was 0.9 pmol cm-2 s-1. The transport of DHA back into the cytosol was slower than AA transport into the apoplast. No dehydroascorbate reductase activity could be detected in the apoplast of spinach leaves. In contrast to its extracellular redox state, the intracellular redox state of AA did not change appreciably during a 24-h fumigation period. However, intracellular glutathi-one became slowly oxidized. At the beginning of fumigation, 90% of the total glutathione was reduced. Only 10% was reduced after 24-h exposure of the leaves to 0.3 [mu]L L-1 of ozone. Necrotic leaf damage started to become visible when fumigation was extended beyond a 24-h period. A close correlation between the extent of damage, on the one hand, and the AA content and the ascorbate redox state of whole leaves, on the other, was observed after 48 h of fumigation. Only the youngest leaves that contained high ascorbate concentrations did not exhibit necrotic leaf damage after 48 h.

Journal Article↗

Effects of SO2, NO2, and O3 on population development and morphological and physiological parameters of native herb layer species in a beech forest.

The native ground vegetation of a beech forest was fumigated with moderate doses of SO(2), NO(2), and O(3) in open-top chambers. The effects of fumigants on growth and above-ground development were dependent on species. The treatments caused early senescence in several of the species present. The epicuticular waxes were attacked by fumigation, which was shown by higher wettability of the leaf surfaces and by leaching of ions. Interspecific differences were observed in the responses of transpiration and photosynthesis to fumigation. Similar patterns of effects on transpiration and photosynthesis, however, were found in the same species. Carbohydrate metabolism was altered by fumigation, leading to starch accumulation in the leaves. Besides effects on higher plants, fumigations also resulted in alterations of the soil microflora. The bacteria/fungi ratio was depressed at the fumigation plots.

Journal Article↗

Effects of reactive hydrocarbons and hydrogen peroxide on antioxidant activity in cherry leaves.

One-year-old cherry trees were fumigated with propene and gas-phase hydrogen peroxide, singly and in combination, in controlled-environment chambers for an 8-week period during the summer season. A UV light source was included with the combined propene and hydrogen peroxide regime to provide a source of hydroxyl radicals and ozone, and thus all the constituents of a photochemical smog. Measurements were made of soluble protein concentration and of glutathione reductase activity in leaf extracts from two or three leaf classes in plants from each treatment regime at the end of each fumigation period. Significant increases in soluble protein concentration with respect to the controls were found in plants fumigated with propene and hydrogen peroxide. The occurrence and extent of these differences depended on the leaf class and on the timing of the fumigation period over the summer with respect to bud break. The activity of glutathione reductase was found to be significantly increased in mature lower leaves of plants which had been fumigated with hydrogen peroxide. This effect was independent of the timing of fumigation with respect to bud break. Enzyme activity was also increased in propene and in propene plus hydrogen peroxide treatments, but only when plants were fumigated early in the growth season.

Journal Article↗

Henry's law constants and mass transfer coefficients for methyl bromide and 1,3-dichloropropene applied to Florida sandy field soil.

Methyl bromide, a pre-emergent soil fumigant, is scheduled to be phased out in the US by 2005, with exceptions for critical use. Comparison of some of the physical constants related to distribution and retention for methyl bromide (MBr) to other fumigants yields a useful quantification of possible alternatives. In this study, the atmospheric and subsurface dissipation of methyl bromide as well as (Z)- and (E)-1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) isomers in Telone II were examined. The Henry's law constants of the three chemicals at soil temperature and their mass transfer coefficients for movement through an agricultural mulch of UV-resistant, high-density polyethylene (PE) were evaluated using field data. At the soil temperature of 16.4 degrees C, calculated Henry's law constant gave a fumigant ranking of MBr (0.21)>>(Z)-1,3-D (0.041)>(E)-1,3-D (0.027). Since rapid subsurface distribution of a fumigant is highly dependent on the amount in the gas phase, the greater value for Henry's law constant implies faster distribution throughout the soil. After distribution through the soil, retention of the fumigant becomes imperative. Calculation of the fumigant's mass transfer coefficients through PE from field data gave a ranking of the three chemicals: MBr (1.08 cm/h)<(E)-1,3-D (3.25 cm/h)<(Z)-1,3-D (4.13 cm/h). With mass transfer coefficients of this magnitude, it was concluded that PE film was an inadequate barrier for retaining these fumigants in an agricultural setting.

Agriculture↗

Evaluation of genotoxicity of emissions from municipal waste incinerators with Tradescantia-micronucleus bioassay (Trad-MCN).

A 4-year study was conducted to investigate the suitability of the Tradescantia-micronucleus bioassay (Trad-MCN) to detect genotoxicity of emissions from municipal waste incinerators. The genotoxic potential of emissions was assessed in three ways: (i) direct fumigation of Tradescantia with diluted incinerator emissions, (ii) exposure of Tradescantia to smoke condensates and (iii) in situ monitoring of genotoxicity of emissions near a municipal incinerator. The results of direct fumigation with smoke emissions varied over the course of the study. In 1992, significantly higher micronuclei frequencies (MCN) were always observed in treated plants than in control plants, regardless of length of fumigation period. Furthermore, MCN frequencies were significantly higher in plants fumigated for 24 h than those fumigated for 8 h, and MCN frequencies were also higher in plants fumigated in chamber 1 (low dilution, high stack gas concentration) than those in chamber 2 (P<0.05). MCN frequencies were substantially lower in 1993 and 1994, and in only 1 out of the 5 fumigation experiments were MCN frequencies significantly higher in treated plants than in controls. This drop in MCN frequencies was possibly due to the installation of better pollution control devices in the incinerator in 1993. Exposure to smoke condensates induced significant increases in MCN frequencies in most exposure trials. A drop in MCN frequencies over the course of the 4-year study was also attributed to the installation of new smoke scrubbing devices. This was further confirmed by the chemical analysis of the condensate, which showed a significant reduction in organic pollutants after the installation of the new devices. The results of in situ monitoring of genotoxicity near a municipal waste incinerator showed that MCN frequencies of Tradescantia depended on the distance from the incinerator, and the direction of wind. Because exposure periods of 6 h were insufficient to elicit significant responses, periods of 10 to 24 h are recommended for in situ monitoring.

Air Pollutants↗

Evaluation of phosphine genotoxicity at occupational levels of exposure in New South Wales, Australia.

Phosphine has been claimed to cause chromosomal damage at exposures close to the current time weighted average exposure standard of 0.3 ppm (0.4 mg/m3). The current study involved 31 phosphine fumigators and 21 controls during the high fumigation season. All were volunteers and were evaluated for genotoxicity variables, including micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes and urine mutagenicity. In parallel, all fumigators and 17 controls were evaluated for full haematology, multiple biochemical analysis, whole blood organochlorines, and whole blood and serum cholinesterase activity. The results for micronuclei showed no significant differences between fumigators and controls, but detected a strong association between age and increased frequency of micronuclei. Measurement of urine mutagenicity did not show any significant difference between fumigators and controls, but did show increased excretion of mutagens in smokers. All haematological and biochemical variables were within normal ranges, except for some non-specific changes in biochemistry. At monitored occupational exposures of < 2.4 ppm/h our results show no association between phosphine exposure and genotoxic or toxicological effects in fumigators.

Adult↗

Methyl bromide as a quarantine treatment for Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in regulated wood packing material.

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), has recently (since 1996) established in limited infestations near several cities in the United States. A. glabripennis was probably introduced into the United States with solid wood packing or dunnage. During 2001, we evaluated the current APHIS Schedule T404-b-1-1 for methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation. Fumigations were conducted in 432-liter Lexan chambers inside a 6.1-m refrigerated container. Each fumigation consisted of 12 high-moisture, naturally infested Populus spp. timbers. We fumigated wood for 24 h at 4.4 degrees C (80 g/m3), 10.0 degrees C (64 g/m3), 15.6 degrees C (56 g/m3), and 21.1 degrees C (48 g/m3). All schedule doses resulted in 100% kill of A. glabripennis larvae. During 2002, we conducted additional fumigations to determine the basic toxicity of MeBr to A. glabripennis larvae in solid wood timbers of 10 by 10 by 115-cm size. Probit analysis estimated the CxT product at 99.0, 99.9, 99.99, and 99.99683% kill (probit-9). The probit-9 values for CxT were 1,196.1, 918.7, 642.4, and 362.4 g-h/m3 at 4.4, 10.0, 15.6, and 21.1 degrees C, respectively. Applied doses to achieve this level of control were estimated to be 119.6, 82.7, 56.0, and 32.2 g/m3, respectively. These applied doses are satisfactory for wood as a commodity with wood load factors of approximately 25% and may be higher than necessary for container fumigation where sorptive wood load as crating or pallets may only be 5% or less. The APHIS Schedule T404-b-1-1 is adequate if extended for 24 h and should be amended to include intermediate doses at 10.0 and 15.6 degrees C, thus reducing the use of MeBr at these temperatures.

Animals↗

Improved efficacy of ethyl formate against stored grain insects by combination with carbon dioxide in a 'dynamic' application.

Ethyl formate is being evaluated as a fumigant for stored grain as it is a potential alternative to the ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide and to phosphine, which is under pressure owing to the development of strong resistance in stored grain insects. However, use of ethyl formate faces significant challenges, such as poor penetration through grain, significant losses to grain sorption, high concentrations of fumigant required to control insects, and flammability risks, which have limited its further development. In this study it was found that the combination of carbon dioxide (5-20%) with ethyl formate significantly enhanced efficacy of the fumigant against external living stages of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.), the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica F., and the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). Dynamic application of ethyl formate and carbon dioxide mixture (100 mg litre-1 ethyl formate, 20% CO2) pumped through a model silo containing wheat (50 kg) for one gas exchange was also investigated. A flow rate of 6 litres min-1 gave a relatively even distribution of fumigant throughout the grain column and similar mortality levels among cultures of S. oryzae and T. castaneum placed at three positions, the top, middle and bottom of the column. Mortality of 99.8% of mixed stage cultures of T. castaneum and 95.1% of S. oryzae was achieved in 3 h exposures to 111 and 185 mg ethyl formate h litre-1 respectively applied by the dynamic method. It is concluded that the combination of carbon dioxide with ethyl formate and dynamic application enhances distribution and efficacy of the fumigant against stored grain insects.

Animals↗