Effective Phytosanitary Treatment for Export of Oriental Melons (Cucumis melo var L.) Using Ethyl Formate and Modified Atmosphere Packaging to Control Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Abstract

Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), commonly known as greenhouse whitefly, is one of the main insect pests of Oriental melon (Cucumis melo var L.) in South Korea. T. vaporariorum is of concern as a quarantine pest for the exportation of C. melo in Southeast Asian countries. Due to future restrictions on the use of methyl bromide (MB) during quarantine, ethyl formate (EF) represents a potential alternative. In this study, we evaluated EF for its efficacy (probit-9 values) in enabling the export of Oriental melons. The probit-9 value of EF for controlling T. vaporariorum was 3.02 g·h/m3 after 2 h of fumigation. We also assessed the phytotoxicity of EF on melons when using modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) under low-temperature conditions, which is required for export and trade, to extend shelf-life. In scaled-up trials, we found 8 g/m3 EF for 2 h at 5 °C to be suitable as a new phytosanitary treatment against greenhouse whitefly for exported Oriental melons when using MAP. No phytotoxic damage was found 28 d after fumigation at 5 °C in terms of five quality parameters (firmness, sugar content, mass loss, color change, and external damage).

Physicochemical and organoleptic properties of hot-air dried oriental melon slices prepared using different physical pretreatments

“…makuwa), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is a valuable crop from a nutritional point of view and a representative summer fruit in Korea (Park et al, 2020;Park et al, 2023). The popularity of Korean oriental melon is growing, with exports showing significant increases from 215 tons in 2018 to 415 tons in 2020 (Kim et al, 2023). The oriental melon is a variant that is unlike other melons, such as cantaloupe, honeydew, and muskmelon, as it differs in appearance, taste, and aroma (Kim et al, 2014a;Koo et al, 2019).…”