Gamma radiation as a phytosanitary treatment against larvae and pupae of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in guava fruits

Abstract

A low-dose gamma radiation phytosanitary treatment against the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, was developed for guava fruits. The measure for efficacy of the treatment is preventing adult emergence from late third instars that were reared in the fruit of guava, Psidium guajava L. The dose–response tests with 1-, 2-, 3-, 7-d-old larvae in guava were initiated to determine the most tolerant stages, the late-aged third instars. No adult emerged from a total of 100,684 late-aged third instars irradiated at the dose of 97–116 Gy, resulting in an efficacy of 99.9970% at the 95% confidence level. The minimum dose for 100% preventing adult emergence from 2-, 5-, 7-d-old pupae (1800 pupae in each dose) reared in artificial diets was 100, 500, and 1750 Gy, respectively. Quality determinations on ‘Taiwan’ guavas were conducted at 1, 3 and 7 days after gamma radiation at doses of 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,200, 2000 and 6000 Gy. The guavas could tolerate radiation dose up to 600–800 Gy as there were no significant changes in organoleptic characteristics (≤800 Gy), the chemical and nutritional contents (sugar, sucrose, total sugar, titratable acid, vitamin C, and soluble solid) (≤600 Gy). Therefore, a dose of 116 Gy, which give the disinfestations efficacy of 99.9968% for the late-aged larvae in guavas and 100% mortality of 2-d-old pupae, is suggested as the minimum absorbed dose for phytosanitary irradiation treatment of B. dorsalis in fruits.