CATTS technology: phytosanitary control and market expansion of chill sensitive Japanese plums for South Africa

Postharvest mitigation treatment is necessary to disinfest export fruit of phytosanitary pests.
Cold temperature as a phytosanitary treatment is effective against a variety of pests.
However, some stone fruit cultivars are chill-sensitive and cannot be exported using the current cold sterilization regimes.
The use of CATTS (controlled atmosphere temperature treatment system) was investigated as a chemical free new technology incorporating heat and atmospheric stress to control phytosanitary pests (grain chinch bug (Macchiademus diplopterus), banded fruit weevil (Phlyctinus callosus) and false codling moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) larvae) on chill-sensitive Japanese plum cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl.). CATTS treatments were followed by either the standard cold sterilisation regime for false codling moth, or dual temperature cold-storage for chill-sensitive plums.
Fruit quality was evaluated at different intervals during storage.
It was found that the banded fruit weevil required lower temperatures with shorter treatment durations to obtain 100% mortality compared to the false codling moth or the grain chinch bug.
Both of the latter required more stress to increase the mortality rate resulting in decreased fruit quality in some cases.
From the results it was evident that CATTS technology holds promise, but that the treatments used in this study must be adjusted to ensure insect mortality and satisfactory fruit quality.

VIII International Postharvest Symposium: Enhancing Supply Chain and Consumer Benefits – Ethical and Technological Issues

R. Smit, M.M. Jooste, S.A. Johnson

heat treatments, controlled atmosphere, chilling injury, phytosanitary insect pests

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2018.1194.30