New Chemical Alternatives
Methyl Iodide [2008-08-29]
Methyl iodide, (MI) or iodomethane is a liquid pre-plant soil chemical. This material was originally developed by researchers in California, USA where the bulk of initial testing was performed (Duniway et al., 2002 ). It is an attractive replacement due to its soil mobility and broad-spectrum of activity. It is not associated with ozone depletion and rapidly breaks down when exposed to UV light. Since the 2002 report, numerous studies show that MI provides similar efficacies to methyl bromide in trials (Ajwa et al., 2003; Porter et al., 2006b). A great deal of research has been conducted evaluating MI as a drop-in replacement for MB. Recent studies are focusing on lowering the dosage rate and validating performance when used in combination with chloropicrin (Browne et al., 2003; Dickson et al., 2003; Elmore et al., 2003; Ren et al., 2003; Schneider et al., 2003). Read more
DMDS / Dimethyl Disulfide [2008-08-29]
Since 2001, ARKEMA is developing DMDS in Europe, other Mediterranean countries and the USA. DMDS, one of the most important compounds of Allium, is a natural fumigant (Auger, J. and Charles, P., 2003). It can be used for soil disinfestation in shank and drip applications (pure product and 95% water emulsifiable concentrate). Based on the available data, DMDS could be a viable replacement for Methyl Bromide (MB) and other fumigants (Auger, J.,2005). According to the results from previous and recent studies, DMDS is a broad-spectrum fumigant that has nematicide, fungicide, insecticide and herbicide effects (Arnault, I. et al., 2006; Coosemans, J., 2004). Studies on the DMDS demonstrated that it acts on mitochondrial respiration by blocking the cytochrome oxidase activity. Furthermore, its toxicological and eco-toxicological profile looks favourable. Read more
Ethane dinitrile [2008-08-29]
Cyanogen, also referred to as ethane dinitrile, is showing promising results as an alternative fumigant to MB for soil disinfestation in trials in Australia, on fruit and carrots (Ren et al., 2003; Mattner et al., 2003) Read more