title: Irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment for Aspidiotus destructor (Homoptera: Diaspididae).
abstract: Coconut scale, Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Homoptera: Diaspididae), is a quarantine pest of banana (Musa spp.) and many tropical crops. Irradiation was examined as a potential phytosanitary treatment to control coconut scale. Dose-response tests were conducted with second-stage nymphs, adult females without eggs, and adult females with eggs at a series of irradiation doses between 60 and 200 Gy to determine the most tolerant stage. The adult female with eggs was the most tolerant stage. In large-scale validation tests and dose-response tests, a total of 32,716 adult female scales with eggs irradiated with doses between 100 and 150 Gy produced no F1 adults with eggs. Irradiation treatment with a minimum absorbed dose of 150 Gy should provide quarantine security for coconut scale on exported commodities.
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 4459, Hilo, Hawaii 96720, USA.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Follett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005514:Food Irradiation; D016266:Food Parasitology; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000528:radiation effects*; D028521:Musa / Q000469:parasitology; D009758:Nymph / Q000528:radiation effects