United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Plant Protection and Quarantine

Commodity Import Evaluation Document (CIED)

Importation of oranges, Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck)and 

Citrus reticulata Blanco, from Egypt to the Continental 

United States with cold treatment for Bactrocera zonata

(Saunders)

County of Origin: Egypt Date of Request: 3/26/2008

Commodity: Oranges and Tangerines

Scientific names: Citrus sinensis L. (Osbeck) Common names: Oranges and Tangerines

 Citrus reticulata Blanco (also Mandarins and Clementines)

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Introduction:

Oranges from Egypt have been enterable to the United States since 1969 subject to cold 

treatment T107a for Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (USDA, 1969). Imports of 

oranges from Egypt were suspended on July 23, 2002 because of the establishment of Bactrocera 

zonata, the peach fruit fly, in Egypt (USDA, 2002). Egypt has requested that APHIS reconsider 

the use of cold treatment based on new treatment data they developed for Bactrocera zonata in 

citrus (MALR, 2008). APHIS proposes to use a cold treatment to treat both oranges and 

tangerines from Egypt based on research data developed by APHIS, USDA-ARS and Egypt. 

APHIS completed a pest list for both oranges and tangerines (USDA, 2011a). Medfly and peach 

fruit fly are the only quarantine pests, and both will be mitigated by the proposed cold treatment 
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of oranges and tangerines from Egypt. Tangerines, Citrus reticulata also includes mandarins and 

clementines.

Current import requirements:

Imports of oranges from Egypt were suspended on July 23, 2002 because of the establishment of 

Bactrocera zonata, the peach fruit fly in Egypt. Previously, imports of oranges from Egypt to the 

United States were allowed with cold treatment T-107a for Medfly (USDA, 1969).

Pests of Concern:

The pests of concern listed in the 1969 decision sheet for Egyptian oranges include 

Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), the honeydew moth (Cryptoblabes gnidiella) and the 

citrus blossom moth (Prays citri) (USDA, 1969). The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata, 

became established in Egypt sometime before 1998 (EPPO, 2008).

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Tephritidae) Mediterranean fruit fly

Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Tephritidae) peach fruit fly

Cryptoblabes gnidiella Millière (Pyralidae) honeydew moth

Prays citri Millière (Yponomeutidae) citrus blossom moth

The two moths listed above are usually external feeders on the peel of citrus and sometimes bore 

into the fruit. The subsequent damage to the fruit allows the pests to be readily detected upon the 

inspection of the commodity. In addition, the honeydew moth is considered to be a secondary

pest of citrus that follows outbreaks of insects that produce honeydew, including scales or 

mealybugs. APHIS does not require a treatment for either pest for commodities from other 

countries where these pests are present.

APHIS prepared a new pest list for citrus from Egypt to determine if the pest status had changed 

for any of the pests since the decision sheet written in 1969 (USDA, 2011a). The pest list only

lists two pests of concern:

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Tephritidae) Mediterranean fruit fly 

Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Tephritidae) peach fruit fly

The pest list included Cryptoblabes gnidiella and Prays citri but concluded the following: 

“Due to their mobility, free-living adults of Lepidoptera are highly unlikely to be in the pathway of 

commercially produced orange and tangerine fruits. The pupae of these genera are either associated with 

plant parts other than fruit, occur externally on their host’s plant parts, or occur in the soil. Or, if the pupae 

occur inside the fruit or seed of their host plants, they would be associated with premature fruit drop and/or 

obvious damage and symptoms (CABI, 2011), thereby making it likely for the fruit to be culled during 

standard harvest or post-harvest handling and processing.”

Therefore no mitigations other than standard port of entry inspection would be necessary for 

these two Lepidoptera.
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Extension of existing APHIS cold treatments for fruit flies to Bactrocera zonata:

Current treatment research. 

In 2006, Egypt collaborated with the Republic of Korea to develop data to confirm efficacy of a 

cold treatment of citrus for Bactrocera zonata for shipment to Korea. In the study researchers 

treated 31,900 Bactrocera zonata for 13 days at 1.7°C with a 2 day pre-cooling period with no 

survivors (PPRI, 2006; Mohamed and El Wakkad, 2009). In the study 1,600 Valencia oranges

were inoculated with eggs of the peach fruit fly. The fruit were held until 80% of the larvae were 

third instars (as determined by dissection), then pre-cooling the fruit for 2 days was initiated with 

a subsequent 13 day treatment at 1.7°C. A control of 100 fruits was held without cold treatment 

to assess larval numbers and survivorship, from which 3,296 pupae were recovered, or an 

average of 33 per fruit. This gives an estimate of 44,550 larvae treated. The study reported that

1,350 treated fruit were dissected and 31,900 dead larvae were found. As a result of this work, 

Egypt was given market access for citrus to the Republic of Korea using the 13 day 1.7°C cold 

treatment.

Research was jointly conducted in 2011 at the Food and Agricultural Organization 

(FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory

in Seibersdorf, Austria by USDA-APHIS, USDA-ARS, Egypt Plant Protection and Research 

Institute and IAEA personnel (Hallman et al., 2011). A preliminary study from January to March 

2011 was done to compare cold tolerance of B. zonata with C. capitata in navel oranges at 

1.1°C. A further study to compare the cold tolerance of 3rd instar B. zonata with C. capitata and 

A. ludens side-by-side in navel oranges at 1.67°C was initiated in June 2011, and is described 

below. In the preliminary study, 3 surviving larvae were found from 266 larvae treated for 10 

days at 1.1°C, or 99.% of B. zonata larvae were prevented from pupariating. From the data, 

using probit analysis they estimated the dose required to kill 99% of B. zonata is 8.3 days at 

1.1°C with 95% confidence limits of 7.4 to 12.2 days. They felt that more research was 

necessary to confirm the treatment for B. zonata.

The second study was conducted from June 2011 through January 2012 at the Food and 

Agricultural Organization (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and 

Biotechnology Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria by USDA-APHIS, USDA-ARS, Egypt Plant 

Protection and Research Institute and IAEA personnel. The cold treatment temperature of 

1.67°C was maintained and batches of larvae were exposed for different lengths of time in 

oranges. The oranges were dissected after treatment and the larvae scored as dead or alive. After 

several thousand larvae were treated at each length of time, if survivors were found the time was 

increased and the treatment repeated. No survivors were recovered from 36,820 Bactrocera 

zonata larvae in oranges held at 1.67°C for 18 days (Hallman et al., 2012). 

 

Summary:

T-107a is listed in the APHIS treatment manual for Ceratitis capitata (Medfly) and C. rosa
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(Natal fruit fly) (USDA, 2011b). T107a consists of cold treatment at 14 days at 1.11°C, or 16 

days at 1.67°C or 18 days at 2.22°C. This treatment is listed for a number of commodities 

including oranges and tangerines. Current research in Austria and Egypt has found that the 

current quarantine treatment for Medfly, T107a, needs to be extended to 18 days at 1.67°C to 

mitigate risk from peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata, as well. A large scale test begun in 2011 

and completed in 2012 was able to kill over 36,000 peach fruit fly larvae with no survivors at 18

days at 1.67°C. For the purposes of cold treatment, tangerines, mandarins and clementines are all 

similar and can be treated with the same treatment for the pests of concern. 

Mitigation Recommendations:

Oranges and tangerines must be subjected to new cold treatment of 1.67°C for 18 days either in 

Egypt, intransit, or at the first port of entry to mitigate risks from the two fruit flies: Ceratitis

capitata and Bactrocera zonata

Each consignment must include a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the NPPO of Egypt with an 

Additional Declaration stating that the consignment was inspected and found free of pests.

Author:

Walter P. Gould, Ph.D.

Senior Risk Manager

Regulations, Permits and Manuals 

References cited:

CABI. 2011. Crop Protection Compendium. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International 

(CABI), Wallingford, UK.

EPPO. 2008. Bactrocera zonata. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization 

(EPPO). http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/bactrocera_zonata/bactrocera.htm accessed 

May 2011.

Hallman, G.J., S.W. Myers, M.F. El-Wakkad, M.D. Tadrous, and A.J. Jessup. 2011. 

Comparison of Cold Tolerance of Bactrocera zonata and Bactrocera invadens with Ceratitis 

capitata in Navel Orange: Progress Report and Proposal for Future Comparisons of Bactrocera 

zonata, with Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha ludens. 14 pp.

Hallman, G.J. S.W. Myers and G. Taret. 2012. Development of a cold storage treatment for 

peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Diptera: Tephritidae). 9 pp.

MALR. 2008. Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR). Letter to Dr. Linda 

Logan, USAID APHIS Attaché, on peach fruit fly technical exchange dated March 26, 2008. 

Mohamed, S.M.A and M.F. El-Wakkad. 2009. Cold storage as a disinfestation treatment against 
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peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders), (Diptera: Tephritidae) on Valencia orange. 

Egyptian J. Applied Sci. 24: 290-301.

PPRI. 2006. Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI). Cold storage of oranges as a 

disinfestations treatment against the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: 

Tephritidae) in Egypt. 9 Aug. 2006. 17 pp.

USDA. 1969. Decision sheet on entry status of oranges from Egypt. 1 page.

USDA. 2002. Email from APHIS to Egypt NPPO informing Egypt of suspension of market 

access for oranges. 

USDA. 2011a. Pest list for the importation of fresh orange and tangerine (Citrus sinensis and C. 

reticulate) into the continental United States from Egypt. Version 1. July 11, 2011. Plant 

Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory, Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, 

USDA-APHIS-PPQ. 14 pp.

USDA. 2011b. Treatment manual. 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/treatment.pdf

Accessed Mar. 2011.

________________________________________________________________________

_X_ APPROVED

___ DISAPPROVED

__Walter P. Gould__________ ___6 March 2012__________

Signature (name) Date