Scientists from the
British Natural
Resources Institute
and the Kenyan
Agricultural
Research Institute
working at Kenya's
Rift valley
suggest that
volcanic carbon dioxide, instead of
methyl bromide,
could be used to
exterminate granary pests (New
Scientist, Vol 148,
No 2004).
Experiments have
been conducted on more than
2,000 tonnes of
maize . The maize
was fumigated
with naturally
produced carbon
dioxide which
resulted in the death
of most of the
weevils present
therein. Other tests are
required to confirm the effects and
if they succeed,
the phasing out of
methyl
bromide could be
possible by the
year 2006.
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