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Title: THE POTENTIAL FOR SPREAD OF CODLING MOTH VIA COMMERCIAL SWEET CHERRY FRUIT:A CRITICAL REVIEW AND RISK ASSESSMENT

Author
item WEARING, C - HORT RESEARCH NEW ZEALAND
item Hansen, James D
item WHYTE, C - AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND
item MILLER, C - USDA APHIS RIVERDALE MD
item Brown, John

Submitted to: Crop Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2001
Publication Date: 10/10/2001
Citation: 20:465-488

Interpretive Summary: Occasional historic records of larvae of the insect pest codling moth in cherry fruits have led to quarantine restrictions that have hampered international trade in sweet cherries. For example, sweet cherries shipped to Japan from Canada, U.S.A., or New Zealand must undergo pre-export fumigation. This requirement is based on the classification of sweet cherry as a host of codling moth; however, it is our view that there is strong evidence to the contrary. We review the identity, distribution, and host range of codling moth, and critically analyze the evidence implicating cherry as a host. We describe a model that assesses the risk of codling moth being spread through international trade in sweet cherries, based on exports from New Zealand and the United States.

Technical Abstract: The identity, geographical distribution, and host range of codling moth is reviewed,and the evidence for sweet cherry being a host is critically analyzed. A model is described which assesses the risk of codling moth exemplified by exports from respectively New Zealand and U.S.A. to Japan in winter and summer. The model is based on the recorded incidence of codling gmoth in cherries and its estimated probability of survival during storage, transport to, and arrival in Japan using data from specific studies and from wider knowledge of the phenology, life history, and biology of the species. It is concluded that the risk of codling moth establishing in an overseas country such as Japan through the cherry trade is extremely low and that specific quarantine measures to prevent the introduction of this insect by this route are not technically justified.