RADIO FREQUENCY PULSE APPLICATION FOR HEATING UNIFORMITY IN POSTHARVEST CODLING MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE) CONTROL OF FRESH APPLES (MALUS DOMESTICA BORKH.)

A radio frequency (RF) treatment, with a pulse mode to increase heating uniformity, was examined as a potential quarantine treatment against fifth instars of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in apples, Malus sylvestris L. var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf., intended for export to Japan. Apples were exposed in water baths to 27.12‐MHz RF energy at 12 kW with a pulse mode of 30 s‐on/30 s‐off for different durations. The temperature uniformity was determined by measurements at 12 sites evenly spaced at two depths in the fruit. The most promising exposure time was 29 min. The efficacy of the treatment with the pulse mode was examined against the codling moth larvae by using exposures between 27 and 30 min and up to 30 min of holding time in bath after treatment. The treatment that killed all larvae with the least amount of energy was the 29‐min exposure with 50‐min holding time. This treatment was appraised for fruit quality in “Delicious” apples. Some injury was observed when treated fruits were removed from 1C storage after 30 days. When these fruits were held at 25C for 1 week, all were too damaged to evaluate for fruit quality. Although pulse mode increased heating uniformity in the fruit, the thermal requirements to control codling moth larvae may exceed the injury threshold of the fruits.