Radio Frequency Post-Harvest Quarantine and Phytosanitary Treatments to Control Insect Pest in Fruits and Nuts

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Many fresh agricultural commodities serve as hosts for insects that are categorised as quarantine pests because of their threat to local agriculture. These insects can be found either on the surface or in the interior of harvested commodities. Because infested commodities are often not easily detectable by external inspection, regulatory agencies in many countries have established phytosanitary quarantine protocols intended to prevent the introduction of exotic pests. Quarantine protocols may include pre-harvest treatments and postharvest measures using commodity treatments. In the absence of effective preor post-harvest techniques to meet quarantine security, the presence of a restricted insect pest in a growing region presents a major non-tariff barrier to international and domestic trades (USEPA, 2001). Tree fruits and nuts are major commodities for foreign and domestic markets in the United States. About 70% of fresh apples, 95% of winter pears, and 70% of sweet cherries are produced in the Pacific Northwest of the USA in 1997. Exports accounted for about 30% market for the Pacific Northwest apple, 35% for the winter pear, and 32% for the sweet cherry (USDA, 1999). The value of these commodities increased from $850 million in 1980 to $1.6 billion in 1997, with an increase of more than 88%. In addition, the state of Washington contributes 90 to 95% of the fresh apples exported by the US. Japan and South Korea require that the imported commodities should be free from codling moth. Over 970,000 tons of grapefruit were produced in Texas for the fresh market during the 1995–1996 crop year with an estimated value of over $95 million in on-the-tree value. Citrus shipments destined for other citrus producing states in the US, e.g. California, Arizona, and Florida, as well as for export markets including Japan and other Pacific Rim countries, require quarantine treatments against fruit flies. Potential quarantine treatments include establishment of fly free production methods, such as fumigation of fruits with methyl bromide (MeBr), cold storage, and hot forced air (Mangan et al., 1998). California produced about half of the US production of fruits and tree nuts, providing nearly 39 million tons of commodities in 1997. The value of almonds, walnuts, dates, figs, pistachios, prunes, and raisins in 1997 was more than $2.5 billion. Most tree nuts are hosts of codling moth, Indianmeal moth and navel orange-