Evaluation of radio frequency--hot water treatments for postharvest control of codling moth in 'Bing' sweet cherries
2005
Hansen, J.D. | Drake, S.R. | Heidt, M.L. | Watkins, M.A. | Tang, J. | Wang, S.
Quarantine regulations require domestic sweet cherries (Prunus avium) exported to Japan to be treated to control codling moth [Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)]. The current procedure, methyl bromide fumigation, may be discontinued because of health, safety, and environmental concerns. To examine a potential alternative method, 'Bing' sweet cherries were each infested with a codling moth larva, submerged in a 38 degrees C water bath for 6 minutes pretreatment, then exposed to various temperatures generated by radio frequency and held at that temperature for different times: 50 degrees C for 6 minutes, 51.6 degrees C for 4 minutes, 53.3 degrees C for 0.5 minutes, and 54.4 degrees C for 0.5 minutes. Insect mortality was evaluated 24 hours after treatment and fruit quality was evaluated after treatment and after 7 and 14 days of storage at 1 degrees C. No larvae survived at the 50 and 51.6 degrees C treatments. Fruit color of non-infested cherries was darkened as temperature increased. Stem color was severely impacted after 7 days of storage, even in a warm water bath of 38 degrees C for 6 minutes, as was fruit firmness at the same treatment. Fruit quality loss increased after 14 days of storage, compared to after 7 days of storage. The amount of pitting and bruising of cherries increased with temperature and again this increase was more evident after 14 days of storage.
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