Ionizing irradiation quarantine treatment against Mexican fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) in citrus fruits

A low-dose gamma irradiation quarantine treatment against the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) was developed for citrus fruits. The measure of efficacy of the treatment was prevention of adult emergence from third instars that were reared and treated in 'Rio Red' grapefruit, Citrus paradisi Macf. Depending on the level of quarantine security required, the minimum absorbed dose would be 58 or 69 Gy. When applied on a commercial scale, many irradiated fruit in each load can be expected to receive three times the minimum required dose for treatment efficacy. Several quality parameters of 'Rio Red' grapefruit, 'Marrs' oranges, C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck, and 'Dancy' tangerines, C. reticulata Blanco, including soluble solids content, titratable acidity, appearance, and organoleptic quality, were not affected compared with untreated fruit at the doses tested (up to 500 Gy). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.