EVALUATION OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE FOR MANAGING INSECTS AND PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH WHEAT FLOUR MILLS, WHEAT, AND FLOUR

The phase-out of methyl bromide (MB) had an economic impact on the agricultural and food industry including flour mills nationwide. The purpose of this proposed project is to build an integrated pest management program based on several MB alternatives including chlorine dioxide fumigation, application of approved residual insecticides to cracks and crevices and non-food areas of flour mills, and the use of chlorine dioxide solution for tempering wheat prior to flour milling to reduce pathogen loads, an issue considering recent recalls of flour products.Investigate efficacy and cost-effectiveness of using chlorine dioxide fumigation as a structural treatment to control life stages of the red flour beetle and pathogens in commercial flour mills.Explore the use of chlorine dioxide solution to control pathogens on wheat kernels. Optimize the dosage of chlorine dioxide to achieve significant log-reduction of pathogens on wheat kernels in laboratory scale tests. Establish a realistic application method to efficiently distribute the chlorine dioxide solution to the wheat mass during wheat tempering in flour mills (commercial scale). Investigate the applications of pyriproxygen, esfenvalerate, β-cyfluthrin, and deltamethrin to cracks and crevices and non-food areas in flour mills to control red flour beetle adults.Integrate chlorine dioxide fumigation, wheat tempering by chlorine dioxide solution and floor treatment by contact insecticides to existing stored product pest management tactics, to not only improve the efficacy, but also to reduce cost.This project supports discovery and implementation of novel yet practical pest management alternatives to MB through research in laboratories and commercial facilities. Further outreach and extension activities will be carried out to promote the new technology to International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) and National Pest Management Association (NPMA) stakeholders.