engleski

Ozone as a biofumigant in the control of stored product pests

Meeting the food needs of a growing population remains a global problem, given regulations to reduce pesticides and use environmentally friendly methods. Global food losses due to pests, including inadequate facilities, especially in low-income countries, can exceed 30% for cereals and 55% for fruits and vegetables. Cereals form the basis of staple foods in most developing countries, while fresh fruits, such as citrus, are essential for nutritional well-being. The main objective of the study was to determine the potential of ozone as a biofumigant in controlling Sitophilus granarius in storages including walking response and velocity, and green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum in mandarin storage. Ozone treatment on S. granaries was applied 10, 20, 30, 60, and 120 min in two variants (insect alone and within grains). In mandarin storage, ozone was applied for a period of 1 - 3 days and treatment duration of 10, 30 and 60 minutes. In the case of S. granarius, 15 days after treatment results showed 97-100% efficacy with inhibitory effect on insect mobility and speed. Ozone application during storage of mandarins proved to be up to 94% effective in both cardboard and closed styrofoam boxes. There was no significant difference between standard fungicide treatment and ozone application. The results of this study show that ozone has biofumigant potential for controlling pests and pathogens in food storage systems, either alone or as an adjunct to other methods.

cereals, mandarine, ozone, pesticides, styrofoam

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