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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387805
Research Project: Methyl Bromide Alternative Treatments for Perishable and Stored Products

Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research

Title: Current status of nitric oxide fumigation research for postharvest control of pests and pathogens

Author
item Liu, Yong Biao
item Oh, Sookyung
item Yang, Xiangbing

Submitted to: International Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2021
Publication Date: 11/17/2021
Citation: Liu, Y.-B., Oh, S., Yang, X. 2021. Current status of nitric oxide fumigation research for postharvest control of pests and pathogens. International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions, November 15-17, 2021 (virtual).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a recently discovered fumigant and NO fumigation has been demonstrated to be effective against all insects and mites tested to date. NO reacts with O2 spontaneously to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2) which may damage fresh products, and, therefore, NO fumigation must be conducted under ultralow oxygen conditions. As it is impractical to remove all oxygen, NO fumigation always has NO2 as a result of interaction of NO with residual oxygen in fumigation chamber. In the recent years, NO2 was demonstrated to be effective against microbes. Effective control of Aspergillus flavus spores was achieved in NO and NO2 fumigations. Complete control of bacteria and fungi on stored almonds and peanuts were also achieved in NO2 fumigations. Therefore, NO fumigation has potential to control both pest and pathogens in a single treatment, and, thereby, expanding potential applications of NO fumigation. When conducted properly, NO fumigation is also safe to fresh products and helps to maintain storage/shelf-life of fresh fruits. NO fumigation does not leave toxic residues on fresh or stored products. These studies indicate that NO fumigation has potential to be an effective and cost-effective method for postharvest control of pests and pathogens.