Efficacy of Phosphine Fumigation under Cold Temperature against Frankliniella occidentalis Perg. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Carnation

Abstract

Many pests cause serious economic losses in the carnation cultivation areas in Turkey. Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Perg. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is harmful on carnation by feeding on both leaves and flowers and is listed as a quarantine pest in some exporting countries. Due to invasions of western flower thrips some chemical control measures are traditionally used as a phytosanitary measure for control of western flower thrips on cut carnation, however, traditional insecticides do not provide its satisfactory control. Phosphine has been investigated as an alternative to traditional insecticides for pest control on cut flowers. In this study the toxic effect of the phosphine gas on egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages of western flower thrips were determined by using the QuickPHlo-R® aluminium phosphide formulation (77.5%) and QuickPHlo-R® quick phosphine generator in a cold storage facility in the Korkuteli district of Antalya province in Turkey in 2018. The doses of 1.1, 2.2 and 3.3 g m-3 of QuickPHlo-R® granules were used for 48 hours exposure time under low temperature conditions (6 ⁰C). Adult stage of the F. occidentalis at 1.1 g m-3 has the lowest mortality rate with 75.71% while the highest toxic effect of phosphine gas was observed at 3.3 g m-3 for 48 h exposure time with a 100% mortality rate of all biological stages of F. occidentalis. It is concluded that QuickPHlo-R® fumigation technology against the western flower thrips under low temperature conditions could be used easily, especially to meet quarantine conditions of the exporter country of the cut flower.