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Title: Low-Dose Irradiation Phytosanitary Treatment Against Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Author
item TORRES-RIVERA, ZOILA - PERU INST. NUCL ENERGY
item Hallman, Guy

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2007
Publication Date: 6/15/2007
Citation: Torres-Rivera, Z., Hallman, G.J. 2007. Low-dose irradiation phytosanitary treatment against Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae). Florida Entomologist. 90:343-346.

Interpretive Summary: This research supports an irradiation dose of 100 Gy for the important quarantine pest, Mediterranean fruit fly. This means that virtually any fruit host of this pest can be treated with irradiation for phytosanitary purposes.

Technical Abstract: The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is one of the most quarantined pest in the world. Host commodities shipped from infested parts of the world to non-infested parts that might be susceptible to infestation should undergo a phytosanitary measure to render negligible the risk of shipping viable flies. Ionizing irradiation is a promising phytosanitary treatment that is tolerated by the great majority of hosts of the Mediterranean fruit fly. The current dose in the United States is 0.15 kGy. This research conducted with cage-infested ‘Haden’ mangoes in Peru showed that 0.1 kGy is sufficient to provide a high level of quarantine security against this important pest. That dose did not affect pupariation when applied to late 3rd instars, but it did prevent any from emerging as adults. A dose of 0.1 kGy might allow for irradiation of avocados, one of the few fruits that does not tolerate more than 0.1-0.2 kGy.