Abstract
Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), eggs ( n = 25,594) on ‘Royal Giant’ nectarines, Prunes sp., packed in styrene cup trays in Bliss-style, single wall, corrugated fiberboard shipping containers (one cup tray per container) did not survive a fumigation quarantine treatment (48 g/m3 methyl bromide, 2 h at ≥21°C,50% load) currently used to treat nectarines in field bins for export to Japan. Fumigation of nectarines in shipping containers did not affect fruit weight loss, soluble solids or tit ratable acidity after 5 wk in storage (0-1°C). Total carotenoid content was significantly lower in fumigated fruit than unfumigated control fruit after 1, 2, 3, and 5 wk of storage. Preconditioning (17 h at 21°C) cooled fruit (≈2°C) before fumigation and storage (1 wk at 0-1°C) resulted in a significantly lower carotenoid content than untreated fruit, which may be related to delayed ripening that would extend shelf life. We propose that fumigation of nectarines in shipping containers is a practical and efficacious method to disinfest nectarines of potential codling moth infestations for export to Japan.
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