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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #329244
Research Project: Methyl Bromide Replacement: Post-harvest Treatment of Perishable Commodities

Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research

Title: Prospect of nitric oxide as a new fumigant for postharvest pest control

Author
item Liu, Yong Biao
item YANG, XIANGBING - University Of California

Submitted to: Controlled Atmosphere & Fumigation in Stored Products International Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2016
Publication Date: 11/6/2016
Citation: Liu, Y.-B., Yang, X. 2016. Prospect of nitric oxide as a new fumigant for postharvest pest control. In: Navarro, S., Jayas, D.S., Alagusundaram, K., editors. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Controlled Atmosphere and Fumigation in Stored Products. p. 161-166.

Interpretive Summary: Nitric oxide is a newly discovered fumigant for postharvest pest control. In this paper, efficacy of nitric oxide fumigation was reviewed and new data on nitric oxide fumigation under carbon dioxide atmosphere, safety to flower bulbs, and residues in fresh products were presented. Nitric oxide fumigation is effective against all insects and mites tested to date. Nitric oxide fumigation in a carbon dioxide rich atmosphere was found to be more effective than in a nitrogen atmosphere against granary weevil adults. Nitric oxide fumigation was found to be effective to control bulb mites and the treatment had no negative impact on germination and growth of flower bulbs and tubers. Nitric oxide fumigation was found to have no significant residues in the forms of nitric oxide and nitrate in fumigated fresh products, including apple, strawberries, lettuce, broccoli, and asparagus. This study provides further evidence of high efficacy of nitric oxide fumigation and high safety in terms of the absence of negative impact on viability of propagating bulbs and tubers of flowers and residues in fresh commodities. Nitric oxide fumigation therefore has the potential to be an effective and safe methyl bromide alternative for postharvest pest control.

Technical Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a newly discovered fumigant for postharvest pest control. In laboratory tests, complete control was achieved against all insect and mite species tested to date with 0.2% to 5% NO fumigations in 2 h to 48 h at 2 to 25°C depending on species and life stages. Nitric oxide reacts with oxygen spontaneously to produce nitrogen dioxide, which is deleterious to fresh commodities. Nitric oxide fumigation must, therefore, be conducted in ultralow oxygen (ULO) atmospheres. Fumigation may also need to be terminated by flushing with nitrogen to dilute NO at the end of fumigation to avoid damage to delicate fresh products by nitrogen dioxide. In small-scale laboratory tests, when terminated properly with a nitrogen flush, NO fumigation was safe to postharvest quality of fresh products. In addition, NO fumigation enhanced postharvest quality of strawberries, indicating that nitric oxide fumigation has the potential of not only controlling pests but also enhancing postharvest quality of fresh products. Laboratory studies also indicate that there is no residue concern from NO fumigation based on NO emission and nitrate and nitrite levels in fumigated fresh products. Nitric oxide has the potential to be a safe and effective alternative fumigant to methyl bromide for postharvest pest control on fresh and stored products.