Ozone disinfection of grain from granary weevil and confused flour beetle

Abstract

The methods of combating the most common harmful insects in the central regions of the Russian Federation, which cause damage to agricultural products during storage, were studied. The experiment was carried out in laboratory conditions by ozonation disinsection of a grain heap of winter wheat. The object of research is granary weevils (Sitophilus granaries L.) and confused flour beetles (Tribolium confusum L.). It is noted that the currently recommended ozone concentrations for disinfection can be dangerous for the health of service personnel. The possibility of ozone treatment at lower values (up to 5 mg/m3) was investigated. It was found that ozone concentration in the range of 3-5 mg/m3 at an exposure of 300 min is sufficient for the complete destruction of the granary weevils. Since it is difficult to maintain a constant gas content, it is necessary to focus on the dose of ozone treatment over 1315 mg·min/m3. For the complete destruction of the confused flour beetles, at least 460 min should be ozonated at the specified parameters. The dose of ozone treatment should exceed 1935 mg·min/m3. Ozonation should be carried out until about half of the insects die.The remaining part of the pests dies within the next day after the treatment, since ozone, acting on the hemolymph, practically eliminates the possibility of survival of beetles after their paralysis. The use of the studied gas concentration indicators contributes to improving the quality of grain seeds.Ozone disinfection with the specified parameters can be combined with the operation of pre-sowing preparation of the seed material. Due to the high activity of ozone, such concentrations quickly decompose into molecular oxygen, which significantly reduces the risk of human poisoning.