**United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**  **Plant Protection and Quarantine** 

## Addition of a new methyl bromide treatment for **Ceratitis capitata**  **and Anastrepha fraterculus**  **in blueberries from** **South**

**and Central America.**  **Treatment Evaluation Document**  (TED )
**Date** : January

10, 2012 **Treatments, Pests, Commodities and Countries New Treatment/**  **Revision/Deletion Treatment Type**  **Target Pests Commodity**  **Applicable Country of** 

**O rigin**  New Treatment Methyl Bromide

Fum igation Ceratitis

capitata, Anastrepha fraterculus Blueberries South and Central America **Objective:** In October 2009, SENASA, the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Argentina , requested APHI S to approve a new methyl bromide treatment to be applied at or above 15°C ( 59 °F) for control of Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus on blueberries. T he current ly available APHI S treatment , T101 - i
- 1 - 1 required fruit to be treated at 70°F or above which presented an undue economic hardship for th e exporters. T his document provides supporting information and justification to add this treatment to the treatment m anual . Th is addition will help continue the trade of blueberries from Argentina and other countries in South and Central America , while c ontinuing to protect American agriculture from the introduction of the exotic pests
. **Overview:** In October 2009, SENASA, Argentina, provided APHI S with preliminary data supporting their request for a temperature decrease for treatment schedule T101 - i
- 1 - 1 from 70°F (21.1°C) to 59°F (15°C) for control of Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus on blueberries.2

Subsequently , the T reatment Q uality A ssurance Unit (TQAU) of APHI S’s Center for Plant Health Science and Technology reviewed the preliminary data and worked with SENASA to develop a final research plan to be used for testing of treatment efficacy at or above 15°C (59°F) (Attachment 1) . Both parties also agreed on the following key points as the basis for the test:

 C. capitata is more tolerant to fumigation with methyl bromide than A. fraterculus ; therefore only C. capitata would be used for further testing.  C. capitata egg stage was the most tolerant life stage to meth ylbromide, therefore only eggs of C. capitata (with more than half of the ir embryonic development completed) would be tested.  Only commerciall y grown blueberries would be used and onl y fruit that had never been treated with an insecticide were to be used for testing.  Three replicates of 3,500 C. capitata eggs each were to be tr eated in independent fumigations (at least 10,000 eggs total).  Blueberries were to be fumigated in a 33.72 m 3 normal atmospheric pressure (NAP) chamber at 60% load capacit y.  The amount of meth ylbromide used would be based on the total volume of the chamb er.  The fumigation chamber would contain 8 pallets with each pallet containing 240 boxes and each box containing 12 clamshells of blueberry fruit.  Boxes of infested fruit w ould be placed in the center s of pallets 3 and 6.  Temperature probes would be plac ed in the center s of pallets 1, 3, 6, and 8.  Gas concentration readings would be taken with Spectros Contain
- IR monitor operated b y APH IS International Services ( IS ) officers. **Evaluation:** On July 29, 2011, SENASA provided TQAU with results from the re quested research ( SENASA, 2011a; SENASA, 2011b ). T QAU determined that the methods employed b y the researchers were well within the scope of the agreed protocol, and the numbers of insects tested exceeded APHI S requirements. A total of 43,490 viable C. capi tata eggs were used in the three fumigation replications (10717, 14762, and 18011). Although some fluctuations in temperature were noticed the data were seen as adequate to support a methyl bromide treatment at 15.5°C ( 60°F) or above , which was slightly h igher than what was requested ( 15°C ( 59°F ) or above )
. **Decision:** TQAU recommends acceptance of fumigation using 2 lb s . of methyl bromide gas per 1000 ft 3 for 3.5 hours at or above 15.5°C (60°F) to control Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus i n blueberries from South and Central American countries . A new treatment schedule, T101
- i
- 1 - 2, will be created for methyl bromide fumigations in NAP chambers (Figure 2).3

**Originators :**  Laura A. Jeffers, PPQ
- CPHST - TQAU, Pest Exclusion Specialist Woodward D. Bailey , PPQ - CPHST - TQAU, Treatment Program Manager **Figure 1. Existing blueberry schedule (9/2/2011)**

**Figure 2. Proposed new**  **blueberry schedule T101**  **- i**  **- 1**  **- 2**  **Blueberry Pest**  : Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly) and Anastrepha fraterculus ( South American fruit fly) **Treatment** : T101 - i
- 1 - 2 MB at NAP - chamber **Temperature Dosage Rate (lbs/1000 ft**  **3 )**  **Exposure Period (hours)**  60°F or above 2 3.5 **Refe rences Cited**  **:** SENASA. 2011a. Report on validation of a quarantine treatment with methyl bromide at low temperatures for fruit flies in blueberries. Ministrio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Pesoa, Servicio National de Senidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria . June 2011. 22 pp. SENASA. 2011b. Validation of a quarantine treatment with methyl bromide at low temperatures for fruit flies in blueberries, some additional information. Ministrio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Pesoa, Servicio National de Senidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria . June 2011. 74 slides.