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Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/14/2009 Publication Date: 8/1/2009 Citation: Follett, P.A. 2009. Generic Quarantine Radiation Treatment; The Next Steps. Journal of Economic Entomology. 102: 1399-1406. Interpretive Summary: APHIS recently published approved generic radiation doses of 150 Gy for tephritid fruit flies and 400 Gy for other insects except pupae and adults of Lepidoptera. Treatments are approved for all fresh horticultural commodities. Generic treatments are the culmination of decades of research but not an end point. The next steps include (1) development of specific doses for quarantine Lepidoptera not covered by the generic treatments, (2) reduction of dose levels for specific commodities to shorten treatment time and minimize any deleterious effects of irradiation treatment on quality, and (3) development of generic doses below 400 Gy for important groups of quarantine arthropods other than fruit flies, and (4) commodity tolerance and development of value-added irradiated fresh products using generic radiation treatments. Generic treatments will accelerate trade between countries that have approved phytosanitary uses of irradiation for fresh agricultural commodities. Technical Abstract: In 2006, USDA-APHIS published a landmark rule providing generic radiation quarantine treatments. The rule approved irradiation doses of 150 Gy for any tephritid fruit fly and 400 Gy for all other insects except the pupa and adult stages of Lepidoptera. The generic radiation treatments apply to all fresh horticultural commodities. Therefore, if a pest risk assessment demonstrates that no pupae or adult Lepidoptera are associated with a commodity, export approval can be forthcoming with no further research. Generic treatments are the culmination of decades of research but not an end point. Future research on quarantine and phytosanitary uses of irradiation should focus on (1) development of specific doses for quarantine Lepidoptera not covered by the generic treatments, (2) reduction of dose levels for specific commodities to shorten treatment time and minimize any deleterious effects of irradiation treatment on quality, and (3) development of generic doses below 400 Gy for important groups of quarantine arthropods other than fruit flies, and (4) commodity tolerance and development of value-added irradiated fresh products using generic radiation treatments. Generic treatments will increase safe trade between countries that have approved phytosanitary uses of irradiation for fresh agricultural commodities. |
