Hot water immersion as a quarantine treatment for control of fruit fly.
Grové T., Steyn W. P., Beer M. S. de
Author Affiliation: Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Private Bag X11208, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa.
: 72-74
Abstract : The effect of hot water immersion on fruit quality of the cultivars Tommy Atkins and Kent was determined. Kent fruits immersed in water at 46.1°C for 90 minutes were also exported by sea to Europe and evaluated. Sensation fruits infested with 1st and 2nd instar marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra, were immersed in hot water to determine survival after exposure. The mass of each fruit was determined and only those with a mass less than 500 g were used for immersion. The temperature of the water was 46.1°C and the fruits were immersed for 75 minutes. A group of control fruit was not immersed and was used to determine the number of larvae in the fruit. Results indicated that Kent and Tommy Atkins fruits could be exported from South Africa after hot water immersion without affecting the fruit quality adversely. No survival of C. cosyra occurred after exposure of approximately 22 000 1st and 2nd instar larvae to hot water immersion.