VAPORMATE®AS A FUMIGANT FOR THE CONTROL OF MEALYBUGS IN PINEAPPLE AND PESTS OF STORED RICE AND MAIZE

Abstract

Experiments were carried out at the National Plant Quarantine Service at Katunayake and at the Food Research Unit at Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka to evaluate the efficacy of Vapormate® (Ethyl formate 16.3% w/w in liquid carbon dioxide 83.7% w/w), against mealybugs in pineapples [Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.] and stored grain pests of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.). Vapormate® is an eco-friendly safer alternative for Methyl Bromide, and accepted worldwide for quarantine and non-quarantine treatment of food items, packaged and stored foods and processing equipment. Fumigation standards recommended by the manufacturer for pineapples (4h exposure of 360g Vapormate® /m3 ) resulted 100% mortality in mealybugs, (Dysmicoccus brevipes), without deteriorating the organoleptic and physicochemical properties of the fruits. The recommended fumigation stand ards by the manufacturer for stored grains (24h exposure of 420 g Vapormate® /m3 ) found to be highly effective in controlling both larvae and adults of stored grain pests of rice and maize namely, maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais), rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum) and rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica). Therefore, Vapormate® can be recommended for pre-shipment fumigation of pineapples and for pre-entry and non-quarantine treatment of stored rice and maize in Sri Lanka as recommended by the manufacturer.