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Effect of Post-Harvest Irradiation of Pomegranate Fruit on Controlling the Carob Moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and Qualitative Characteristics of Pomegranate Fruit

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Abstract

The carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae [Zeller]), is the most important pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) pest in Iran. This pest causes damage to pomegranate fruit before and after harvesting. In this study, the effect of different doses of gamma radiation on different life stages of carob moth and qualitative parameters of pomegranate were examined. Eggs (1- and 4‑day-old), first and last instar larvae, pupa and adults were exposed to different doses of the radiation. Irradiation on each stage of the pest started from a low dose and increased until 100% mortality was observed. Four replicates were considered for each dose and each replicate included 25 insects. In the first stage, different stages of the pest were directly exposed to radiation, and based on the results of this phase, pomegranates infested with the pest were exposed to radiation. In the last step, the quality of irradiated pomegranates was checked. Results indicated that 1‑ and 4‑day-old eggs, first and last instar larvae, pupa and adults of carob moth were completely killed by 125, 250, 500, 800, 1000 and 300 Gy, respectively. Results of probit analysis, the values of lethal dose (LD50) and different stages of the pest: 84.82, 412.12, 207.55, 243.44, 278.95, and 239.88 Gy, respectively, were estimated. The results of direct pest irradiation and pest-infested pomegranates were the same. Therefore, by irradiating pomegranate fruit with a dose of 1000 Gy, all stages of the pest inside and outside the fruit are destroyed. The influence of gamma radiation of 1000 and 2000 Gy on the qualitative properties of pomegranate fruit was also determined in the present study. Results showed that there were no significant differences between irradiated and non-irradiated pomegranates in terms of weight loss percentage, total phenolic content, ascorbic acid content, total soluble solid, titratable acidity, ferric reducing ability power and the amount of total protein. However, anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity and soluble protein content showed a significant decrease with increasing irradiation dose. In addition, electrolyte leakage increased in pomegranate peel as gamma radiation dose increased. Based on all of the obtained results, the dose of 1000 Gy was an effective dose for eliminating carob moth in harvested pomegranates because it did not show any negative effects on most of the qualitative parameters or its effect was lower than higher doses.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine (NRCAM), Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Karaj, Iran, and the Entomology section of the Department of Plant Protection of Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Roohi & Alireza Askarianzadeh

  2. Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Karaj, Iran

    Hamidreza Zolfagharieh

  3. Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Orang Khademi

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  1. Maryam Roohi
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  2. Alireza Askarianzadeh
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  3. Hamidreza Zolfagharieh
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  4. Orang Khademi
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Correspondence to Alireza Askarianzadeh.

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M. Roohi, A. Askarianzadeh, H. Zolfagharieh and O. Khademi declare that they have no competing interests.

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Roohi, M., Askarianzadeh, A., Zolfagharieh, H. et al. Effect of Post-Harvest Irradiation of Pomegranate Fruit on Controlling the Carob Moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and Qualitative Characteristics of Pomegranate Fruit. Erwerbs-Obstbau 65, 1731–1740 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-023-00917-5

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