LIBRARY STATE PLANT BOARD Unlt'^d St-?tps Df^pTtnont of A.^rici.iltnre ■Rur^'iu of ■^nt'^nolo.^' «.nd Pl^nt Qu'a.rnntino FTI!IGATI01^I OF BULK SOIL WITH M^ilTHVL BROMIDE FOR TKF vmiTT!'-FRINGFD BHFTL^ IF TT^V ORL^ilMS By F. M, Livingstone, Division of Contr )1 Tnv.- gti^'^tions ^y^a ■P'^deml mi^r^ntino '"'^^0, 72) to or-^v-nt thr ^rtifici^l rror-^^^d of th*^ white-fringed beetlr ^ P'^.ntonoru s Icucolong. ^Boh.) -Drovidos th-^t potted ■lol^nts, when grown iinrlfir crrts^.in snnit-'^r:/ nursery conditions, na.y "be certified for TnoveTn'^nt from the inf-^stod ^rea. One of th-^s'-^ orer-^quisites is that the soil us-"'f' for -notting "be free fron white-fringed "beetl" infes- t^.tion. "^he \irork r^port'^d in this p-^i^^r wns csi-rried out »t Nev/ Orlenns with th'' obj-^ct of determining whether the fumigp.nt n-^thyl bromide ni^^ht "be used for this purpose. No pr^^vious d-?.tn. hnve been published on the use of this chenic^.l ='s «>, f\imig '7j4S cubic -f^et, ->n'^ ''p^ metol-lin'^d wooden bins hol^ling 1 cubic y^rr^, n^he ^e-oth ">f the soil in the fum^'torla rqn^re!'' from 1^ to 3^ inches. %ito-f ringed beetle l^rv^e of oil sizes, but usu-^ll:/ Aill-grown, were either distributed throughout the soil bulk or confined In screen c«g«s and pl'-'c^'^ ^t sp'^cifi^ri locations. Th'^ liouid fumigont w^s -^-opli^d from !>. gr-Adu^ted cylinder to the surface of the soil, the r!os«ge b^ing '^ivi:^?'^ j^mong sn=ll f^epressions, which, immediately s-fter receiving the funig°.nt, w-^re c-^v^red with n h-^ndful of soil, ^he fum=itoriun wns covered tightly, either with tarpmilin, rubberized roofing p^Toer, or « m^t?^! cover. The rios-'ge of funig^nt ranged from 7.7 to 3^.3 cc. p^r cubic y.rd of soil. At the end of =tn exi:)Osure of US hours the Inrve were renover? from the s'^il stn- S'^t "si'^e on moist white ^.^.n^"^ for observo.tions on m'^rt^lity. i' Ks^wkins, Lon A, '^he use of m--^thyl bromi'^'^ for th'= tr^^atment of ou'ir- "ntined Toro-^ucts. H. S. D'^pt. Agr. , Bur. Fnt. ^nd Plont Qu'=^r., F-U?U, 6 ^^, Cmultigr^'phed) , July l^-^o. Six t7,n;5*>s of soil usp'' Tjy nnrsTi'^s in ^'pw Orlrs^ns vrero funi- .^ot--'' in thr> tpsts. '"hp soil nrinci-o-'lly «r!-oloy.^r» v->s -> mixture of n-) ^f'^xim-'tely onugl rj-^rts of "brov/n riv^r a^. It, sw'>r>^ l^^^fnolr?, cur-^d cow nanuro, and sgnd or field loam. This nixture, called "^lotting soil" in tbis p-^r^er, is frialjl.*, rich in hxnus, •^^nd highly absorptive. Other kinds of s"«il funi^^r-.tfid were build'^r's s'^n^, usod cxtensiv-'^ly in New Orl'^^ns ''t ti^.-^s in th^ prep-o.r«ition of *irtif ici.-^.l media for the growth •>f 'izpIohs ^.nf^ c*ir-olli'^,s; allv.vial silt, such 9.s is ■^eposit'^d in tho hottur'^ of tho low-^r Mississippi Riv'^r Valley: Te(\. s-^ndy lonm: swnnp lo-^fnol^, o'bt'^in^'^ fron cut-ovor, dr'^.in-^'^ sw^mpl^^nds of ¥e\'j 0rlr>'^n9 and vicinitj'-; ^n-^ sph^gn\in moss, "Mone of those vrere v;pt whr^n "b-in^; fur^i- .^-t'^'^, hut «ill vrre sliishtly moist. Roi=;ults of "^x^^r infants The d'^t'^. obt-'inp?^ in the furnii-ation tests v/ith the various types of soils are i;ivpn in tahl? 1. This t^hlp s-iows th-^t, in th*^ ex-oeriments w^ th "-..ottin^ soil," ""•s-grs of 7»7 cc, I'^.l cc, qn'' 3'^»3 cc, of mothyl 'broni'^e per cubic ■'t'' of soil v'^re usod un^'T .-different ter.pr^ratnre con.c'itions. In thf' "'^■oerini"-nts v;Hh » 7,7_cc» '^os«.g'^ th^* tem-ricratures ranged fr"in '^?.° ti S0° "^t , an'^ the resulting mort«lity over^gi^.^ 73»'^ percent. Th'-^ l^'.l-.cc. f^osage in -^x-oerinents i-rith tf^^m^^i^ratures r^^n^in :; from Up© to 63° -oro'^uced '^'^.3 porcent mort'^lity. The 3^«3-cc, '^os-'ge vrith te^.Toer-^turers ranging from ^?° t-^ 70® g-v^ cor.-olete r.ortnlity of the test larvae. ■following thf' finr'ing th^t 3'^«3 cc» of methyl broni'^*' ■oro'^uce'^. c-ir-ol-^te nort^lit^'- in thp "')ottin2; soil" mixture, fumigations of buil'^^r's s^ni^, slbr'^ial gilt, r^d s'^n'^y loam, svam-o Imfnol-'i, ''H'^ S'ohagnum m"iss with this (^os^ge were carri'^'^ out. The tpn-opratiir^s in these tests vrere higher than those r^port^'^ for th'^ "-jotting soil" fumigations, ranging; from 6^° to ^^^, All t^sts with th^sp soils r^'^sultp'' in complete kills of thp test larvap. Since •-^st^'^lishment 0:^ thp eff^ctlvf-ness of the 3'^«3-^c» '^os^ge, fumigation of bulk soil with m.ethyl bromide nt the slightly higher rat-^ of UOcc. r)er cubic yrd h^'s bcpn employpd intprm.ittently, as a me^ns of '^isinfesting it of whitp-fring<^d beetle larvae, by sevprol c^mm-ercial nurseries in ^Trw Orleans during a period of about o year, an'' in ©(Edition by one fprower for all ■•:70tting work during a period of a^T'^roximately 6 months, No harmful pffpct on rAants from the use of rotting soil fumigated with methyl bromidp h-^s be^^n noted. The cost of the fvimig«int is about 10 cents per cubic yar'"* of soil. "'o'^lr- 1. — ■^xniT^tion '^f 6 ty-nrs i-P '^n'^k. s-^iT with n^thyT "hroni'^p for th« Itvo of th'^ whit--frln .T'^. '^'^otl'-. N-^w Orl"'^ns, Li. S^ripp '^y-^-^ of s^^il AT-,. 1 ^-ttin- '^lixture ? do. ^ot-^l or •svs^rn^p do. u' ^0. do. ^ -^0. Tot'^1 or -VPra.^'' ^0. 7 '^fo. ^ ^0. '^O. 10 do. 11 ■-^l . 1.? do. 13 ii do. "^otnl or -vpr^^---^ f^.-^t 15 ^uil'^er's snn'i IS ''o. i^otil or ivpr^.g^ ■^0. 17 Allnvi^.l silt U do. Tot^l or ?i yc^ j« ct £-ft do. 10 ■R'^,-1 s^^.ndy loopi ?n Sw^-.mp loqfnold ?i S-jhqgnun noss '}-^s-.-- Si^p of '"pnp^rf'- Larvae in CO. '^er soil tur? cu. ,yd. bulk in T^n^?- Nunbpr ^^■'.ir-ihoT "^r-rcpn of soil cu. y^'s. in ''■P, used killed kill-^ 7.7 0.13 U;?-6o 100 ^0 60.0 7.7 0.13 50-5o "^S 86 ?7.? 7.7 U?-6o IQ^ IU6 73.^ IQ.l 0.13 h ?-oO 105 10 P ^7.1 l°.l 0.13 50-60 10« 10 Q 100.0 IQ.I 0.13 b?-63 100 100 100.0 IQ.l 0.13 6a-63 Q,^ q? 100.0 IQ.l U?-b3 lilP Uoc 00.3 3^.3 0.13 50 07 Q7 100.0 3-. 3 0.13 Up-So IQO lOQ 100.0 3^.3 0.13 50-60 100 100 10^.0 3?. 3 0,13 6P-63 100 100 100.0 3'-?. 3 0.13 6P-63 110 110 100.0 3^.3 0.13 nO-'^O 100 100 100.0 3^.3 0.13 60-70 r'D 00 100.0 3'^.3 ^.13 6n-7o 105 105 100.0 3^.3 i-;?-7o gpo ^20 100.0 3'^.3 3?, 3 7U-S5 1136 U36 100.0 o.p-^ 7>^-^3 135 135 100.0 1.00 75-^5 301 301 100.0 3^.3 3^.3 7U^'^3 75-^5 1U7 Pll 1U7 211 100.0 100.0 3^.3 7U-35 35> 353 100,0 3>^.3 O.Pg 6?-^3 20? 203 100.0 3^.3 0.2s 77-^^ 2^3 2^3 100.0 31.3 0.23 70--^.-^ 2n6 poG 100.0 dTAT'C Dl AWT RThAPn Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013: http://archive.org/details/fumigationofbulkOOunit - u - Summary ■^^xperimi^ntal work with methyl hroni'^c ^s h funi^nnt for "-•ottin.-: roil" "n-^ fivp nrl'^ltlon'^1 types of soil at >Tew Orle^'.ns showed that l=»rvol infpf5tations of thp whitp-frin^^ed "beetlp ^ P^ntoraorus If^ncolomq. ''■'^oh.) in "bnlk a-u=)ntiti''s o-f th-^se soils vorp dpstroy-d "by trp-^tnont with f» rios^^p of 3^,3 cc. nop cu"^>ic y^rd for ^ p-riod of h^ hourn. '^ho tpn-oprfturf^ in th^ tests with this dop,'»^p an*^ pxnosurp r'=»n:^pd from •> riinimun of h?.^ to r> moxiiniun of o?® ?. No harmful nffoct on -ol^nts from thp usp of soil funig-'tpr! with methyl "bromidp has >>ppn not-^'^ "by comnprci-al us^rs. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA lllllillillillilllllllillllllii 3 1262 09224 7773