Typical controlled atmosphere treatment (CA) with increased
carbon dioxide (CO2) and reduced oxygen has been shown to have
synergistic effects to phosphine fumigation for postharvest control
of Liriomyza huidobrensis Blanchard (Diptera: Agromyzidae)
on carnation at low temperature (Zhang et al., 2014). Phosphine
fumigation with elevated CO2 could increase efficacy against
aphids (Karunaratne et al., 1997). Ultralow oxygen treatments with
reduced oxygen levels increased western flower thrips mortality
(Liu, 2008a,b). Misuse of phosphine has also led to more phosphine
resistance of pests in stored products (Chaudhry, 1997). Therefore,
it is valuable to conduct more tests to demonstrate whether pure
phosphine gas with or without CA could be utilized as an alternative
to MB for insect disinfestation of horticultural products. In
this research, toxicity of phosphine with different concentrations
and exposure durations, and synergistic effects of CA to phosphine