| Irradiation is a viable quarantine disinfestation treatment which has been studied for 40 years although it has received very little commercial use. Two principal obstacles to commercial application, 1) the fact that insects are not killed immediately, and 2) consumer opposition to irradiation, have been allayed to some extent, but the remaining impediment to large-scale commercial use is development of approved protocols by government regulatory agencies in importing countries. The United States Department of Agriculture has taken the first step by allowing for the movement of a number of quarantined fruits from Hawaii to the rest of the country following irradiation treatment. The measures of efficacy of irradiation disinfestation treatments should be... |
