Phosphine is an inexpensive, versatile fumigant, accepted on world markets as a residue-free treatment. It is relied on heavily throughout the Australian grain industry to maintain freedom from insect infestation - an important aspect of grain quality for export markets.

Research spanning many years has not identified a suitable alternative for phosphine. This has placed pressure on efforts to maintain phosphine by minimising the development and spread of phosphine resistance among grain insects.

In order to contribute to the management of phosphine resistance, this project set out to determine the feasibility of developing a molecular diagnostic test for phosphine resistance.