Pmas Arid University Rawalpindi Pakistan

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Postharvest management of
insect pests and their impact on
quality
POSTHARVEST IMPACT OF INSECT PESTS
 Reduction in fruit quality LOSSES
POSTHARVEST IMPACT OF INSECT PESTS
 Insect greatly impede exportation
 Either absent from importing country
 The exporting country has zero tolerance for all live insects
 Adaptability allows them to move to new ecological niches and
expand the host range
IMPORTANT INSECT PESTS OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
 Fruit flies (Mango, citrus, peach)
 Bactrocera sp.

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IMPORTANT INSECT PESTS OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
 Mango seed and pulp weevil
IMPORTANT INSECT PESTS OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
 Citrus rind borer
 Eggplantfruit borer
IMPORTANT INSECT PESTS OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
 Sweet potato weevil
 Thrips
SPS: SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY
MEASURES
 Laws, regulations and procedures instituted by countries to protect
human, animal or plant life or health
 Plant quarantine
 Declaringarea free from pests spreading to a country
 Regulation or treatment of importedfruits
 Residuesor pesticides on food
 Certification:food safety, animalor plant health

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MANAGING INSECT PESTS: PREHARVEST
 Bagging
 Traps
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: PREHARVEST
 Cultural management
 Crop rotation
 Field sanitation
 Hand-picking anddestructionof insects
 Control of insect population
 Use of male attractants
 Insecticideapplication
 Biologicalcontrol agent
 Eradication
 Male annihilationtechnique(MAT)
 Sterile insect technique(SIT)
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: POSTHARVEST
 Quarantine treatment
 Any treatment that kills or otherwise renders
quarantine pests incapable of establishment
at a predetermined level of control (Hartman
2001)
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD
QUARANTINE TREATMENT
 Factors to consider:
 Presence of more than one life stage
on or in the host
 Location of the insect’s life stage in
the host

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MANAGING INSECT PESTS: QUARANTINE
TREATMENT
 Must
 Kill all stages of the insect
 Not have visible detrimental effects on fruit
quality
 Be commercially feasible
 Not have harmful effects on humans
 Be environmentallyfriendly
QUARANTINE TREATMENT EFFECTS ON
FRUIT QUALITY IF NOT MANAGED
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: CHEMICALS
 Fumigants
 Ethylene dibromide(EDB)
 Methyl bromide (MB)
 Phosphine
 Insecticide dust or sprays
 Dimethoate- fruit flies (tomato, mango,cucumber)
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: PHYSICAL
 Vapor heat treatment

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VAPOR HEAT TREATMENT
 Makes use of air saturated with water vapor to raise
the temperature of the commodity to a specific
temperature for a specific period.
 The combined effect of warming, holding and cooling
periods is important.
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: PHYSICAL
 Extended hot water treatment
HOT WATER TREATMENT
 Used primarily for the control of fruit fly.
 Duration of the treatment depends on the
commodity and origin of the target pest.
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: IRRADIATION
 LABELING

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MANAGING INSECT PESTS: IRRADIATION
 Approved doses for the use of registration as a
phytosaniatry treatment for fruits and vegetables.
Insect Pest Dose (Gy)
Oriental fruit fly 250
Mediterranean fruit fly 225
Melon fly 210
Caribbean fruit fly 150
West Indian fruit fly 150
Sapote fruit fly 150
Malaysian fruit fly 150
Mango seed weevil 300
DISADVANTAGES OF IRRADIATION
 Can create a stress response in fresh fruits and
vegetables, leading to
 Increased respiration rates
 Hastening of senescence
 Global negative sentiments remain the most
restrictive factor for the commercial
adoption of irradiation on a large scale.
MANAGING INSECT PESTS: OTHER
TREATMENTS
 COLD TREATMENT
 Carambola (star fruit)= 1.1°C for 15 days
 Orange, lemons, mandarins = 1°C for 14 days
 Mangosteen = 6°C for 13 days
 CONTROLLEDATMOSPHERE
 2% O2 and 5% CO2 = insecticidal atmosphere
 LIMITATION:
 fruit injury
 off-flavour development
SYSTEMS APPROACH
 Requires knowledge of pest and host
biology
 Components
 pest identification and risk
management
 Pest survivelance, trapping,sampling
 Cultural practice
 Postharvestdisinfestations
 Use of non-hosts or resistanthosts
 Pest –free areas

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