| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4518071 | Postharvest Biology and Technology | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•The most tolerant life stage to PH3 fumigation at 5 °C was the 3-d-old egg.•Exposure duration was the critical factor in PH3 toxicity of 3-d-old eggs.•PH3 treatment conditions for western flower thrips on oriental lily was verified.•Two oriental lily cultivars could not endure 1.83 mg L−1 PH3 treatment for 3 d at 5 °C.•PH3 could be used for postharvest control of western flower thrips on oriental lily.
Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), widely distributed in the main Chinese cut flower production areas, present a problem because it is listed as a quarantine pest in some exporting countries. Phosphine (PH3), a potential alternative to methyl bromide (MB), was investigated to determine its effects on postharvest control of western flower thrips at low temperature on oriental lily. Toxicity tests showed that the 3-d-old egg was the most tolerant among all life stages. Phosphine concentrations from 0.31 to 1.88 mg L−1 and exposure durations from 6 to 120 h at 5 °C were applied on the 3-d-old eggs, and results showed 24.34–09.55 h were required to achieve 99% mortality with different phosphine concentrations. The expression of C0.85T = k was obtained. Synergistic effects of controlled atmosphere (CA) treatment with increased carbon dioxide (CO2) and reduced oxygen to PH3 fumigation were verified. Phosphine fumigation could achieve 100% mortality and had no adverse effects on vase life and damage indices of two oriental lily cultivars at 1.66 mg L−1 PH3 and 12% CO2 for 16 h, and at 2.29 mg L−1 PH3 without CO2 gas for 2 d at 5 °C. All results suggested that low temperature phosphine fumigation with or without CO2 could be used as an alternative for postharvest control of western flower thrips on oriental lily.
