Environmental evaluation of hot water treatments to control Liriomyza huidobrensis infesting plant material in transit

Though quarantine disinfestation treatments have been exempt from the methyl bromide phase out, it is still required to research and develop alternative treatments for fumigation of plant material in transit. This study investigated the ability of both the egg and pupal stages of the quarantine pest, South Americian leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis to survive submersion in water heated to temperatures between 40 and 50 °C for varying periods of time. Large reductions in egg viability were recorded. However, the treatments also resulted in unacceptable levels of damage to the host plant material. Damage was uneconomically viable. Pupae were all killed exposure to water at 44 °C for 20 min. Incubation of insect and plant material at either 5 or 20 /dgC for 24 h before submersion in the hot water did not significantly alter the pests’ ability to survive the treatments. The potential of hot water treatments to act as an alternative to methyl bromide fumigation for disinfecting plants in transit is discussed.