Phosphine best management practices: Disinfesting stored commodities

Abstract

There is a wide range of implications from insect infestations in stored commodities. These include economic loss due to physical damage, quality degradation, rejection by consumers leading to loss of markets, impact on workplace health and safety, and costs associated with their management (Nayak and Daglish, 2018). Several species belonging to three insect orders – Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (moths) and Psocoptera (psocids) – generally infest stored commodities (Rees, 2004). Although storage managers routinely use non-chemical tactics – such as hygiene, cooling, and drying – for pest management of post-harvest commodities, including grain, these are often insufficient to maintain the quality standards required by markets.

Among the available chemical control methods, contact insecticides (grain protectants and structural treatments) and fumigants are at the forefront of providing measurable success in pest management, meeting the logistical requirements set by storage operators and markets. While contact insecticides are used for the provision of long-term protection of commodities from insect attack, fumigants are used to disinfest the commodities when infestations are detected.