Helicella Snails Infesting Rosemary Seeds: Methyl Bromide and Other Fumigants for Quarantine Control12

Abstract

Small-scale laboratory tests in 1971-72 indicated control of two species of juvenile Helicella infesting seeds of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis L., in fumigations at reduced pressure near 100 mm Hg with methyl bromide (MeBr) 48 mg per liter for three hours. Preliminary germination tests of tolerance shortly after fumigation or following storage at 5.6–7.2°C for 12-16 months indicated little or no effect from MeBr 128 mg per liter for 16 hours at reduced pressure or 240 mg for 24 hours at normal atmospheric pressure (NAP). Tolerance of seed also appeared acceptable following NAP fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride 48 mg per liter for 72 hours or an ethylene oxide-carbon dioxide 10:90 mixture 416 mg per liter for 48 hours.