Canada
July 31, 2009
July 31, 2009: As canola growers
prepare for harvest, the
Canola Council of Canada (CCC) reminds them to keep the
insecticide malathion far away from bins slotted for canola
storage this fall.
Malathion is not registered to treat bins that will store canola
or to control insects in stored canola.
"Using malathion on canola seed or in canola storage bins will
result in detectable levels of malathion residue because
malathion has a strong attraction to the oil in canola seed,"
says Arvel Lawson, CCC manager of Crop Production.
"Consequently, malathion can move into canola seed from storage
bin walls."
Every country that buys Canadian canola sets limits on pesticide
residues, and exceeding those limits can mean rejected shipments
and increased monitoring, says Lawson. Because of Canada’s bulk
grain handling system, every load of canola delivered needs to
meet the requirements of all our export customers.
Last year Canadian canola seed exports amounted to over $3.1
billion and detection of residues could cost the industry,
including farmers, millions of dollars in business.
If a bin has been treated recently with malathion, it should not
be used for canola storage this fall because a minimum of six
months must pass before a malathion treated bin can be used to
store canola.
Lawson advises using proper harvest and storage management to
keep canola seed insect-free:
- Adjust combine settings to
harvest sound seed and to minimize chaff and weed seeds in
the sample.
- Chose bins in good
condition and sweep out thoroughly before harvest; make sure
the bin is free of chaff, seeds and foreign material.
- If considering a bin
treatment, a registered diatomaceous earth product can be
used to treat empty bins but should never be used directly
on canola seed as the product will not be effective.
"If the canola you are putting
into the bin is sound and reasonably free of chaff, volunteer
cereal or weed seeds, foreign material, and stored product
insects of concern, the canola should store well and remain
insect-free if kept below 15°C and 8% moisture."
For more information on proper canola storage and keeping canola
Export Ready, go to
http://www.canolacouncil.org/. |
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