Fumigation of Jute Bags with Ethylene Oxide and Methyl Bromide to Eradicate Potato Ring Rot Bacteria

In a series of full-scale tests, the effectiveness of various fumigant treatments for the eradication of potato ring rot bacteria from bulk lots of contaminated jute bags was evaluated. Survival of these bacteria on infested sample fibers located at various positions within and around a tightly wired bale was determined quantitatively from the growth lag in a liquid medium as indicated by the rate of turbidity development.

Ethylene oxide, though highly toxic to Corynebacterium sepedonicum in laboratory tests, failed to penetrate the jute sufficiently to be effective in the interior of a bale. Methyl bromide showed better penetration, but was not sufficiently toxic at practical dosage levels. A mixture of 5% ethylene oxide and 10% methyl bromide achieved complete eradication throughout a bale in an 18-hr exposure period.

On the basis of these results, eradication of ring rot bacteria from contaminated jute bags by fumigation with a combination of these two gases would appear to be feasible under commercial conditions.