Ultrasound Treatments to Control Surface Pests of Fruit
in HortTechnologyDurations of ultrasound treatments were evaluated for efficacy in removing or destroying external pests of apples (Malus sylvestris var domestica). Egg hatch of codling moth (Cydia pomonella; Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was inversely related to time of ultrasound exposure, although egg mortality was less than 60% after 45 min of treatment. Mortality of twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae; Acari: Tetranychidae), and western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis; Thysanoptera: Thripidae), was directly related to ultrasound durations; adding detergent to the ultrasound bath increased treatment efficacy. Ultrasound did not remove san jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus; Homoptera: Diaspididae), from the fruit surface. Ultrasound, which can be incorporated in the packing line, shows promise as a postharvest phytosanitation treatment against external pests.
