Overview of North American stored product research

Abstract

Major locations for stored product research in North America are in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Recent personnel changes and research areas are reviewed. One of the pressing research areas in the U.S. is reducing the need for fumigations in flour mills and evaluating alternative treatments. Long-term studies are beginning to show efficacy of better IPM practices, including use of aerosol treatments, for reducing the need for fumigation. Heat treatment as an alternative to fumigation continues to be refined through research. Models have been developed for optimizing heat treatments and fumigations. Studies at grain elevators are optimizing insect management at these large storage facilities, including better sampling methods and computer programs that aid in decision making. Recent studies are beginning to look at insect populations in feed mills and their association with microbes. A number of studies have investigated the biology and control of psocids, which are emerging pests of stored products in the U.S. There have been major research efforts in both Canada and the U.S. to develop better sampling and detection methods, including thermal imaging, automated digital x-rays, molecular methods, and development of better attractants and improved interpretation of trap catches. The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is the first agricultural pest to have its genome sequenced, and mining the genome has produced vast knowledge of various physiological processes that might be exploited for control of this and other pests. Expected future research trends are on aerosol treatments of structural facilities, improved methods for detecting internal insect pests, psocid biology, improved attractants, improved interpretation of trap catches for making pest management decisions, and application of genomic technologies for insect control.