X-ray analysis: a nondestructive detection of stone weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae, in mango fruits.
Maharajan A., Latha S., Sathyanarayana N., Reddy O. R.
Author Affiliation: Regional Plant Quarantine Station, Meenambakkam, Chennai - 600 027, Tamil Nadu, India.
Indian Journal of Plant Protection 33 : 164-166
Abstract : Mango stone weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae, is a bottleneck for export of Indian mangoes. As fruits infested with S. mangiferae do not show any external symptoms, X radiation radiography was employed for the nondestructive detection of stone weevil infestation in mangoes. The X radiation at 20-34 kVP voltage, 12-20 mA current with a distance of 38 cm from platform to source was optimum for the detection of stone weevil infestation in mango fruits. Of 565 mangoes scanned, Bangalora showed 32.5% infestation, followed by Neelam (20%) and Banganapalli (8.8%), while no infestation was observed in Malgoa and Rumani. X radiation radiography was reliable in the detection of internal infestation of mango fruits. Thus, this method can be employed for the nondestructive detection of S. mangiferae for phytosanitary certification in plant quarantine programmes.