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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314141
Title: Oxygenated phosphine fumigation for control of light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), eggs on cut-flowers

Author
item Liu, Samuel
item Liu, Yong Biao
item SIMMONS, GREGORY - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/19/2015
Publication Date: 6/13/2015
Citation: Liu, S.S., Liu, Y.-B., Simmons, G.S. 2015. Oxygenated phosphine fumigation for control of light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), eggs on cut-flowers. Journal of Economic Entomology. 108(4):1630-1636. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tov158.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tov158

Interpretive Summary: Oxygenated phosphine fumigation treatment was tested on cut flowers at low temperature to determine its efficacy to control light brown apple moth eggs and its safety to cut flower quality. Five species of cut flowers were tested and they were roses, lilies, tulips, gerbera daisy, and pompon chrysanthemums. A 3-day fumigation with phosphine at a high concentration of 2500 ppm caused 99.7 to 100% egg mortalities. A 4-day fumigation with 2200 ppm phosphine resulted in 99.98% egg mortality. The 3-day treatment was safe to all cut flower species except one. The treatment caused severe injuries to gerbera daisy cut flowers. The injuries were not related to CO2 or ethylene and were likely caused by phosphine. The study suggests that oxygenated phosphine is effective against light brown apple moth eggs, but it will be difficult to achieve 100% control consistently and the treatment is safe to most cut flowers.

Technical Abstract: Light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, eggs were subjected to oxygenated phosphine fumigation treatments on cut flowers to determine efficacy and safety. Five cut flower species: roses, lilies, tulips, gerbera daisy, and pompon chrysanthemums, were fumigated in separate groups with 2500 ppm phosphine for 72 h at 5°C. Egg mortality and postharvest quality of cut flowers were determined after fumigation. Egg mortalities of 99.7 to 100% were achieved among the cut flower species. The treatment was safe to all cut flowers except gerbera daisy. A 96-h fumigation treatment with 2200 ppm phosphine of eggs on chrysanthemums cut flowers also did not achieve complete control of light brown apple moth eggs. A simulation of fumigation in hermetically sealed fumigation chambers with gerbera daisy showed significant accumulations of carbon dioxide and ethylene by the end of 72-h sealing. However, oxygenated phosphine fumigations with carbon dioxide and ethylene absorbents did not reduce the injury to gerbera daisy, indicating that it is likely that phosphine may directly cause the injury to gerbera daisy cut flowers. The study demonstrated that oxygenated phosphine fumigation is effective against light brown apple moth eggs. However, it may not be able to achieve the probit9 quarantine level of control and the treatment was safe to most of the cut flower species.