Web-based phosphine fumigation monitoring with active sensor validation confirms lethality in stored grains

The predominant measurement technologies for fumigation gases over the past 60 years include colorimetric tubes, photoionization detectors, and electrochemical sensors. Their limitations and inaccuracies are well documented. Spectros Instruments has shown non-dispersive infrared monitoring (NDIR) to be a superior analytical tool for the practical measurement of fumigation gases as shown in Table 1. Any compliant fumigation monitor must be accurate, reliable and affordable. Stored Product Protection has additional requirements in remote regions such as Central China and Western Australia. In these cases, the value of real time access via the internet to fumigation data collected with NDIR Technology from a remote location adds heretofore unknown benefits. Allocation of manpower and materials resources are optimized by access to information about fumigant gas levels in grain storages via the internet. Data is automatically transferred to a central database that can be accessed in real-time from any location with internet access. Intelligent monitors with built-in diagnostics tracking barometric pressure, temperature, sample flows and detector voltages are described. This data collection, data warehousing and reporting platform maintains measurement traceability to certified compliance with secure, encrypted electronic notebook format. Knowing REAL phosphine concentrations allows informed decisions to be made to achieve required CxT and avoid situations leading to target pest phosphine resistance