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INVESTIGATIONS ON THE SYSTEMIC INSECTICIDAL ACTION OF SODIUM FLUOROACETATE AND OF THREE PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS ON APHIS FABAE SCOP.
Author(s) -
DAVID W. A. L.,
GARDINER B. O. C.
Publication year - 1951
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1951.tb07791.x
Subject(s) - aphis , toxicity , sodium acetate , acetic anhydride , phosphorus , phosphate , fluoroacetate , biology , organic chemistry , chemistry , nuclear chemistry , biochemistry , agronomy , aphid , catalysis
The general insecticidal properties of bis ( bis ‐dimethylamino phosphonous) anhydride ( anhydride ), bis (dimethylamino) fluorophosphine oxide ( oxide ), diethyl paranitro‐phenyl phosphate (E600), and sodium fluoroacetate ( acetate ) are described. All are toxic to aphids when infested plants are dipped in solutions. Although this is thought to be a contact action the possibility that the materials are first absorbed by the leaves and that the aphids are killed by imbibing toxic sap is not excluded. The order of decreasing toxicity by dipping is E 600 > acetate > anhydride = oxide. At the lowest concentration giving a complete kill of aphids, the anhydride is the most persistently effective of the four compounds. E600 is the most phytotoxic compound. When applied to the roots the order of decreasing toxicity is acetate > oxide > anhydride > E600 in sand and soil, and acetate > oxide > anhydride = E600 in culture solution. The anhydride and acetate are more persistent in the plants than the oxide and E600. The margin of safety between insecticidal dosage and phytocidal dosage is appreciably larger with the acetate than with the other three compounds. When equal dosages are administered to plants by the cut tap root technique the order of decreasing toxicity to aphids is seen to be acetate > oxide > E600 > anhydride. All compounds, except possibly E600, appear to be absorbed by the intact roots of the plants. Systemic insecticidal action following application made to the leaves of the broad bean is easy to demonstrate with the acetate, demonstrable with difficulty with the anhydride and not at all with E600 and the oxide. Only the oxide is sufficiently volatile to kill insects by a fumigant effect either as the pure substance or after absorption into the plant. Plants treated with it give off a toxic vapour which may be collected by condensation and shown to be systemically active. The material concerned is presumed to be the unchanged oxide. Sodium fluoroacetate is an extremely effective systemic insecticide whether applied to the leaves or the roots of the broad bean. It is apparently not phytotoxic at several times the concentration necessary for insecticidal action but may prove to be too generally toxic or persistent for practical use.