Journal of Economic Entomology (2014) 107, 1745-1750

Yoav Gazit, Ruti Akiva and Sagi Gavriel (2014)
Cold tolerance of the Mediterranean fruit fly in date and mandarin
Journal of Economic Entomology 107 (5), 1745-1750
Abstract: The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), is an endemic pest in Israel and there can be low levels of infestation of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Because C. capitata is considered a quarantine pest by several major importing countries, the export of fresh dates requires the elimination of this pest. For mandarin, cold storage at 1.11°C for 15 d is considered to be an effective treatment for the elimination of C. capitata. In this study, we compared the cold tolerance of C. capitata in `Barhi´ dates to that of C. capitata in mandarins (Citrus unshiu Marcovitch, `Satsuma´). In Barhi dates, we found the third instars to be the most cold-tolerant as compared with other life stages. Ceratitis capitata in date fruits were significantly less cold-tolerant than C. capitata in Satsuma mandarins. The last viable larvae in dates and mandarins were found after 8 and 13 d of treatment, respectively, and the calculated mortality curves in the two crops were significantly different. These results demonstrate that C. capitata is more sensitive to cold treatment when in date fruits than in mandarins. Therefore, the quarantine cold treatments used to eliminate C. capitata from mandarins should be sufficiently effective if applied to fresh date fruits.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Yoav Gazit, Sagi Gavriel

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
quarantine treatments/regulations/aspects
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ceratitis capitata	Citrus (genus)	Israel
	Ceratitis capitata	Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)	Israel