Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research
Project Number: 2040-30400-001-029-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 15, 2026
End Date: Nov 14, 2029
Objective:
Hawaii growers do not have access to a facility for phytosanitary export preparation, so they treat their own plant materials for pests before shipping. In Japan and elsewhere, Hawaii-grown floriculture suffers from shipment rejections because of pests. Indeed, analysis of records indicates that more than 80% of these shipment rejections are due to ants, aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, and thrips.
The stakes are high for Hawaii growers: Should a shipment be rejected due to the presence of quarantine pests, the producer loses export privileges and faces stringent regulatory actions. Despite growers’ compliance efforts and the judicious use of currently available pre- and post-harvest treatments, challenges such as insecticide resistance, new invasive pests, and rising pesticide costs have imposed significant challenges for the ornamental export industry in Hawaii.
Thus, the goal of this project is to create ethyl formate (EF) fumigation schedules that would control thrips on Hawaii orchids, proteas, and anthuriums.
Approach:
The proposed research aims to address this challenge by developing ethyl formate (EF) fumigation treatment for thrips as quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) purpose. EF is a methyl bromide alternative fumigant with a good efficacy toward many types of pests, especially surface pests. It is generally recognized as safe and breaks down rapidly to ethanol and formic acid without residue. Our preliminary data showed that Western flower thrips, one of the common thrips species infesting orchids in Hawaii, could be effectively controlled using a quick low dose EF treatment (about 11 g/m3 EF applied at 23°C for 1 hr), which appears to have no significant impact on the quality and vase life of orchid flowers (e.g., white dendrobium). Proposed approaches to achieve the objective are to: (1) survey thrips species in orchid, protea and anthurium nurseries in Hawaii, (2) identify 2-3 most EF tolerant thrips species, (3) determine EF efficacy for the most tolerant thrips species, (4) assess sorption rate of EF to cut orchid, protea, and anthurium, (5) conduct large scale fumigation trials, (6) evaluate the effect of the EF treatment on orchids, protea, and anthurium, and (7) build a prototype fumigation chamber that can be easily used by growers/shippers.