Given the complexity of the practical usage of controlled atmospheres for the protection of agro-commodities, several researchers have pointed out that there is not enough robust scientific documentation regarding the usage of inert gases for their widespread practical application. Therefore, this work evaluated various regimes of hypoxic and anoxic nitrogen atmospheres for the control of two key stored-product pests, in laboratory and under field conditions in silos. Sitophilus granarius and Callosobruchus chinensis were selected as the tested species since they are important pests of grain/rice or legumes in Europe and Asia. Under laboratory conditions, we tested nitrogen (N2) concentrations (from 95 to 100%) and exposure times (1–20 days) on the developmental stages of both pest species. In most developmental stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis, the shortest effective exposure was found for nitrogen concentration of 99%. Based on our laboratory tests, validation studies were subsequently carried out in semi-hermetic steel silos (25t) using continuous nitrogen saturation by on-site built swing pressure generators. It was found that a full control of all stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis was achieved in 11 days of nitrogen exposure, using concentrations ranging above 99% and below 100%. Our work shows that hypoxic nitrogen treatment can be effectively achieved in small steel silos under proper technological and environmental conditions.
Aulicky R., Kolar V., Plachy J., Stejskal V. (2017): Field efficacy of brief exposure of adults of six storage pests to nitrogen-controlled atmospheres. Plant Protect. Sci., 53: 169-176.The efficacy of a brief exposure (1, 7, and 10 days) to a nitrogen-controlled atmosphere (N-CA) for major storage pests in a field validation study in the Czech Republic is reported. The main goal was to estimate how quickly the mobile adult stages of six species of storage beetles (oryzaephilus surinamensis, cryptolestes ferrugineus, tribolium confusum, tribolium castaneum, Sitophilus granarius, and Sitophilus oryzae) are killed after introduction of the infested commodity to prevent their further spread to the surrounding storage bins. The trials were conducted in a metal bin containing 25 t of seeds using the system of continual top-down nitrogen filling to replace the oxygen. The composition of N-CA in the silo was measured continually. The target N-CA concentration (i.e., ≤ 1% O 2 and 99% N 2 ) was reached at the bottom of the silo after 12 h of the purging phase of nitrogen silo filling. A one-day exposure to N-CA corresponds to top-down filling, which initially gives higher concentrations of N 2 in the upper than in the lower part of the silo: low efficacy was reached at the silo bottom (0-33.3%), while higher efficacy (16.7-100%) was reached at the top of the silo bin. The mortality variation at both locations was species dependent: the most sensitive was o. surinamensis, and the least sensitive were S. granarius and S. oryzae. Seven days of N-CA exposure led to 100% mortality of all tested species except for S. granarius (96.7% mortality at the bottom), while 10 days of N-CA exposure led to 100% mortality of all adults located at both the bottom and the top of the silo. This experiment showed that one day of exposure to N-CA caused significant mortality to reduce the spread of insects from the top of the silo but not from the silo bottom, and 10 days of exposure completely prevent the adult mobile pest stages of all tested species from spreading from the treated silo and causing cross-infestation in the storage facility.
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