Commodity tolerance studies of deciduous fruits to moist heat and fumigants

Studies were made of commodity tolerance of deciduous fruits to various treatments designed as possible conditions for the movement of fruits across quarantine barriers set up for the Oriental and other fruit flies. Of the many chemicals tested the two showing greatest promise were ethylene dibromide and ethylene chlorobromide. The margin of safety between dosages of these two chemicals reported to give complete kill of all stages of certain fruit flies and dosages that damaged the fruit was much greater than with methyl bromide—a widely used fumigant. Bromine residues remaining in treated fruits were small and these dissipated rapidly; they were thought to be of little concern to public health. Should an insect pest such as the Oriental fruit fly become established in California and create a quarantine problem, the successful use of commodity treatments for interstate movement of deciduous tree fruits seems very promising.