Efficacy of methyl bromide fumigation as a quarantine treatment for Bemisia tabaci on poinsettia
1994
Macdonald, O.C. | Cheek, S. (Central Science Lab., Harpenden (UK))
The tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a quarantine pest of major concern to the UK horticultural industry that has repeatedly been introduced to the United Kingdom, usually in connection with the import of poinsettia cuttings. The use of the fumigant methyl bromide which may be used to prevent such introductions was investigated as a quarantine treatment. Complete kill of B. tabaci eggs and adults and greater than 99 percent kill of all larval stages was achieved by a four hour fumigation with 13.5 mg per liter of methyl bromide (CTP 54 mg.), a similar procedure to existing treatment schedules for the control of a range of horticultural pests on chrysanthemum cuttings. This treatment regime was shown to cause some damage to six varieties of poinsettias that were tested. Although this damage would probably make the treatment unacceptable for use on cuttings for final pot plant production, cuttings for other purposes, such as mother stock production, could be treated in this way with little adverse effect
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