Commodity Treatments: Responses of Tomatoes and Green Bell Peppers to Fumigation with Methyl Bromide or Ethylene Dibromide

Fumigation of tomatoes with methyl bromide (MB) at dosages that might be used for control of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wied.) slows the rate of ripening of mature-green fruit by about 20 percent and slightly increases their susceptibility to decay. Splotchy ripening occurred in only one cultivar treated at 32°C. Inorganic bromide residues in tomatoes were less than the legal tolerance of 20 parts per million, even at the maximum dosage of 48 g MB/m3. Green bell peppers were severely injured when fumigated with MB at a dosage effective against the Mediterranean fruit fly. Thus, MB is not a suitable fumigant for green peppers. Fumigation of green bell peppers with ethylene dibromide (EDB) increased the incidence of decay and induced slight surface pitting. However, at the dosage used, the defects induced by EDB are not serious enough to preclude the use of EDB as a fumigant for green peppers to meet quarantine requirements. At a dosage of 8 g EDB/m3, the inorganic bromide residue was less than 25 p/m.