Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment of Food and Agricultural Commodities

This publication includes the results of a Coordinated Research Project (CRP). The results contain data on the effect of low doses of irradiation at different stages of development of almost 30 different species of insects and mite which represent major trade problems. It is important to note that some of the projects resulted in the first approvals against non-fruit fly pests (sweet potato weevil and mango seed weevil). This publication also includes information about the tolerance to irradiation of some commodities, packaging materials, methodologies used and the effect of a few combined treatments. This CRP includes also a number of firsts such as the first large-scale confirmatory tests for several non-fruit fly pests, the first commercial shipment of cut flowers using irradiation as part of a quarantine treatment, and extensive studies on the response of mites to irradiation.