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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research » Research » Research Project #447572

Research Project: Improving the Efficacy of Methyl Bromide Alternatives for Stored Grains in Shipping Containers

Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research

Project Number: 3020-43000-034-057-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 13, 2024
End Date: Aug 15, 2026

Objective:
The objective of this research is to evaluate the combined effect of fumigation, contact insecticides, and methoprene-incorporated packaging on controlling stored product insects in shipping containers during transportation. Our project involves five primary objectives: 1) Optimizing fumigant application methods by developing and validating a computational fluid dynamics model of phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride distribution inside shipping containers; 2) evaluate the effectiveness of pre-container applications of contact insecticides; 3) evaluate the use of insecticide-incorporated packaging on suppressing insect populations and protecting stored commodities; 4) economical analysis of the cost and efficacy of implementing integrated pest management (IPM) technologies; 5) conducting and promoting extension outreach to US and international stakeholders, humanitarian aid agencies, food and feed industries.

Approach:
The objective of this research is to evaluate the individual and combined effect of fumigation, contact insecticides, and methoprene-incorporated packaging on controlling stored product insects and grain quality in shipping containers during transportation. We will evaluate multiple integrated pest management techniques (IPM) alone or in combination in laboratory and semi-filed locations in Arkansas and Kansas. The first objective will utilize remote sensors and insect bioassays to conduct fumigations with phosphine (Ph3) and/or sulfuryl fluoride (SF) in shipping containers. The remote sensors will collect data points, which will be used to create a computational fluid dynamics model to illustrate and predict the effectiveness of Ph3 and SF fumigations. The second objective will evaluate the efficacy of several residual insecticides applied to multiple surfaces and held at low, medium and high temperatures against several species of stored product insects. This study will be followed up with semi-field testing in shipping containers in Arkansas and Kansas. The third objective will evaluate the use of insecticide-incorporated packaging for preventing insect infestations of packaging commodities in simulated warehouses and in shipping containers challenged with a suite of stored product insects. The fourth objective will conduct an economic analysis of each independent IPM technique and the combination of al; IPM techniques. The fifth objective will be focused on extension and outreach. Results of this research project will be disseminated through publications, workshops, presentations, and meetings with industry stakeholders domestically and internationally.