10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection

Dr Greg Daglish participated in the 10th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection (IWCSPP) which was held from 27 June to 2 July 2010 in Estoril, Portugal. The conference gave Dr Daglish the opportunity to:

• learn about the recent advances in stored product protection, especially pest ecology and phosphine resistance
• develop and strengthen contacts with international experts that will benefit Australian biosecurity and the CRCNPB, and
• present research findings from CRC50089: Grain Insect Ecology to international peers.

IWCSPP is the principal meeting for researchers and other professionals interested in stored product protection, particularly protecting grain after harvest, and in 2010 the meeting attracted several hundred delegates from more than 30 countries. There were 201 oral or poster presentations and five specialist workshops on topics including pest biology, engineering, fumigation and controlled atmospheres, and chemical and non-chemical control. Dr Daglish presented a paper entitled Resistance management and the ecology of Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) in subtropical Australia which provided an overview of the CRCNPB research into two of the most common causes of grain being rejected by the nil tolerance standard in Australia. Dr Daglish also attended presentations and joined workshops on insect sampling and rearing, and talked with as many scientists as possible, especially those involved in his area of interest, ecology detection and control of stored grain pests in North America and Europe.

A sampling workshop was informative, as were a number of oral and poster presentations. There was lively discussion about whether the movement of insects through grain bulks was essentially the processes in which insects act like passive entities. There were strong arguments from both sides, each producing convincing data or arguments. Dr Daglish drew the conclusion that both were likely to be correct depending on the stage of colonization of grain bulks. Another theme in the workshop was the need to use sampling and analysis of sampling data to evaluate and predict the performance chemical control options. These research areas are relevant to Australia.

In CRC50089: Grain Insect Ecology pheromone traps were used to trap beetles in the rural landscape, and Dr Daglish was keen to learn about any new research that might be relevant to Australia.

Internationally, there is considerable interest in the use of pheromones for monitoring and mating disruption, although the latter relates more to insects inside warehouse and other buildings. United States (US) researchers have conducted preliminary research on mating disruption in the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica, which is also a major pest in Australia. If successful, mating disruption could be incorporated into an integrated pest management approach, and monitoring their progress will be a priority for Dr Daglish.

CRCNPB research is aiming to determine the levels of movement of the two key pests R. dominica and the rust red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum, in the Australian rural environment. Australian trapping suggests considerable movement in both species and population genetics so far completed support this view. Canadian and US scientists have strong evidence of an annual spring migration of R. dominica from the US to Canada, and so a spring migration in Australia may be worth investigating. US scientists are trapping R. dominica in native vegetation sites farm from farms and grain silos, which is consistent with our Australian results. Population genetics suggests considerable gene flow between populations of T. castaneum taken from mills across the US. This is consistent with results from CRC50089: Grain Insect Ecology suggesting considerable gene-flow within the Queensland study area. There are clear benefits in keeping in contact with the North American scientists.

It was evident from the conference that there are few new potential fumigants or insecticides for use for stored grain, with sulfuryl fluoride being the notable exception. The adoption of this fumigant has been in the context of fumigating buildings and laboratory and field research on its potential use on grain bulks is urgently needed. Another exception was a fungal-based biopesticide for treating structures being developed in the United Kingdom consortium which may have potential in Australia if the new delivery technology works in practice.

Dr Daglish made the most of networking opportunities especially with stored grain researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture and Kansas State University. Topics of shared interest included grain insect ecology, interpreting trap data and grain protectants.

The next IWCSPP will be held in Thailand in 2014.