Research confirms EDN as an alternative to methyl bromide

​Promising research findings about the efficacy of Ethanedinitrile (EDN) have been published in the September 2020 issue of the scientific journal, Journal of Stored Products Research.
 
This research, commissioned by STIMBR, was undertaken by the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited. The work was funded by STIMBR and EDN’s manufacturer Draslovka along with co-funding from other partners.
 
Before forest products are exported, the importing country’s phytosanitary treatment requirements must be met. India and China are New Zealand’s two major markets for pine logs. Both countries require methyl bromide as a treatment. While China allows phosphine fumigation and debarking as well as methyl bromide, India only permits methyl bromide. STIMBR seeks to identify suitable alternative phytosanitary treatments to methyl bromide as it is an ozone-depleting substance. EDN is not an ozone depleting substance nor is it a greenhouse gas.
 
Prior to the necessary extensive testing of EDN (the testing required hundreds of thousands of beetles of known stage of development), scientists needed to work out how to breed in the laboratory three beetle species most associated with radiata pine. In ground-breaking research, New Zealand scientists were able to develop protocols that enable large numbers of fit for purpose insects to be bred in the laboratory. This system ensures that any life stage of each species can be supplied when required in batches of five hundred, or more, on the same day for testing.
 
The highlights of that research are:

• EDN was successfully tested in extensive laboratory tests as an alternative to methyl bromide for the control of forest pests associated with export pine logs.
• Commercial scale tests confirmed that EDN met the stringent standards for it to be acceptable as a phytosanitary treatment.
• The data has been provided to the Chinese and Indian government agencies for their consideration and approval.
• The Environmental Protection Authority is processing an application to enable the use of EDN as an alternative to methyl bromide in New Zealand.

 
The full article, Laboratory toxicity and large-scale commercial validation of the efficacy of ethanedinitrile, a potential alternative fumigant to methyl bromide, to disinfest New Zealand Pinus radiata export logs, can be accessed here:
 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022474X20302630?dgcid=author
 
Scientists elsewhere in the world are also reporting excellent success when evaluating EDN as an alternative phytosanitary treatment for forest products.