2005 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Following the decline of the sugarcane and pineapple industry, Hawaii’s agricultural systems are changing from corporate agriculture to small family farms producing new and exotic tropical fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops for local and export markets. However, Hawaii’s crops cannot be exported to U.S. mainland or foreign markets without postharvest treatments to eliminate potential infestations of quarantine pests. Tephritid fruit flies (specifically Malaysian fruit fly, Mediterranean fruit fly, melon fly, and oriental fruit fly), scales, mealybugs, thrips, weevils, moths, mites, slugs, snails, and other pests of quarantine importance are major constraints to the export of agricultural commodities from Hawaii and the primary limiting factor to the expansion and diversification of agriculture in the state. Incursions of exotic fruit fly species into California and other mainland states continue to threaten U.S. agriculture and agricultural exports to foreign markets. Approved quarantine treatments do not exist for many of Hawaii’s crops, and alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation are needed for others. In many cases, the crops are sensitive to quarantine treatments, and methods to maintain commodity quality must be developed to ameliorate the adverse effects caused by quarantine treatments The project has three specific goals to resolve the problem:. 1)to develop postharvest treatment technologies (such as irradiation, cold, heat, modified atmospheres, ozone, or combinations thereof) for tropical crops to ensure quarantine security against insect pests that restrict exports;. 2)to develop new or improved postharvest treatments for fruit, vegetable, nut, and ornamental crops to enhance product quality, extend shelf life, reduce or eliminate postharvest decay, and/or add product value; and. 3)to identify, develop or improve preharvest methods for fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops that enhance postharvest quality and reduce the incidence of quarantine pests that limit exports, including non-host protocols. The project supports ARS Strategic Plan 4.3.2.2, Quarantine Strategies, within NP-304, Crop Protection and Quarantine, Insects and Mites Component, Postharvest, Pest Exclusion, and Quarantine Treatment, primarily in the development of quarantine treatments against pests that limit exports, and NP-308, Methyl Bromide Alternatives, Postharvest Commodity Treatment Component, primarily in the area of developing heat, cold, irradiation, controlled atmosphere, and other quarantine treatment methods to replace methyl bromide fumigation. Additionally, the project addresses issues falling under NP-303, Plant Diseases in the area of biology and control of postharvest pathogens and pathogens that limit exports, and issues falling under NP-306, Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products, in both the Quality Characterization, Preservation, and Enhancement Component and the New Processes, New Uses, and Value-Added Biobased Products Component in the areas of developing methods to preserve or enhance product quality, developing new uses for fruit, vegetable or ornamental culls or by-products, and developing value-added products. U.S. agriculture, in general, and Hawaii agriculture, specifically, will benefit from the creation and maintenance of domestic and foreign markets, expansion and diversification of U.S. exports, protection from quarantine pest incursions, development of new products that increase farm gate value and marketability, and application of postharvest treatments that prevent losses from decay organisms, maintain product quality, and prolong shelf life. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Milestones for new Project 5320-43000-014-00D certified 03/09/05 for the period 2005 to 2010 were divided into 14-, 32-, 48-, and 60-month intervals (Project 5320-43000-014-00D replaces terminating Project 5320-43000-013-00D). 14 Months Large-scale irradiation tests with sweetpotato weevils; dose-response tests with stages of sweetpotato vine borer, Fijian ginger weevil, coconut scale, and banana moth; confirm a sterilizing dose for green scale for sweetpotato and other export commodities. Complete studies measuring characteristics of various emulsions of oils and limonene for controlling target quarantine pests on ornamentals for export. Determine whether coffee berry borer (CBB) can survive in green coffee beans at 9-13% moisture content; continue O3 fumigations against CBB (continued from terminating Project Plan 5320-43000-013-00D). Develop thermotolerance models for Mediterranean and oriental fruit fly eggs and larvae using heating block system (HBS) and document results; install Strayfield RF treatment unit at ARS-Hilo and begin to develop thermotolerance models for tropical fruits. Test efficacy of already approved heat and identify key parameters using a controlled-atmosphere temperature-treatment system (CATTS) treatments against fruit flies in persimmons and avocados. Evaluate quality of persimmons and avocados following approved heat treatments; develop pretreatments with heat or 1-MCP to reduce possible fruit injury. Complete method development and conduct initial quality experiments for irradiated bananas. Develop quality, microbial, and vitamin analyses methods for preparing fresh and frozen papaya cubes as value-added products. Development protocols for sampling, extraction and analyzing macadamia flavor profiles at different processing stages. Conduct macadamia nut orchard surveys to establish correlation between husk dyeing and kernel damage; conduct study of seasonal pattern of stink bug feeding; conduct stink bug development studies. Complete first set of bioassays against Western flower thrips prior to implementation of area-wide plan for orchid production to identify insecticide resistance. Complete bioassays using chitosan and alginate polymers to develop water-resistant formulations of caffeine to control slugs and snails in ornamentals; develop CRADA with an agrochemical company (to be selected). 32 Months Document results of sweetpotato weevil irradiation dose-response tests and for green scale confirmatory tests; initiate confirmatory tests with most tolerant life stage of sweetpotato vine borer, Fijian ginger weevil, coconut scale, and banana moth. Complete insect bioassays and phytotoxicity tests with ornamentals for selected oil and limonene combinations. If CBB does not survive in green coffee, continue O3 fumigations to accumulate desired efficacy data. If CBB survives in green coffee beans, increase O3 fumigation parameters to obtain 100% mortality of eggs; initiate new coffee quality tests at ARS-Albany, CA. Develop thermotolerance model for Malaysian fruit fly and melon fly eggs and larvae using HBS and document results; continue to develop thermotolerance models for tropical fruits. Identify CATTS treatments for fruit flies in avocados and persimmons; test efficacy of already approved heat treatments against fruit flies in guava, longan, and passion fruit. Evaluate quality of guava, longan and passion fruit following approved heat treatments; confirm quality of avocados and persimmons following large-scale confirmatory tests with best CATTS treatments. Conduct experiments on the composition, ripening behavior, and quality of irradiated bananas and document results. Refine methods for quality, nutritional, and microbial analyses of fresh and frozen papaya cubes. Begin quality and microbial analyses of fresh and frozen papaya cubes. Collect composition data and determine food engineering properties for macadamia nuts. Identify compounds in macadamia flavor profiles and document results. Conduct second year of orchard surveys to establish correlation between macadamia nut husk dyeing and kernel damage; conduct further studies of seasonal patterns of stink bug feeding; continue stink bug development and demography studies. Complete second set of bioassays one-year after initiation of area-wide management plan for orchid production to identify pesticide resistance in thrips. Test promising formulations of chitosan and alginate polymers to develop water-resistant formulations of caffeine to control slugs and snails in ornamentals in the field under normal commercial conditions. 48 Months Complete irradiation quarantine treatment confirmatory tests and document results for sweetpotato vine borer, Fijian ginger weevil, coconut scale, and banana moth; initiate dose-response studies with white peach scale and red wax scale for comparison to other scales of quarantine importance Analyze data and document results for insect bioassays and phytotoxicity tests with ornamentals for selected oil and limonene combinations. If new O3 fumigation parameters do not adversely affect coffee, initiate O3 fumigations with CBB eggs until >10,000 are killed with no survival. Complete development of thermotolerance models for tropical fruits and document results. Provide technical report to NPS on any efficacious RF quarantine treatments. Large-scale of testing fruit flies with best CATTS treatments for all commodities that tolerate CATTS to develop quarantine security data. Confirm quality of guava, longan and passion fruit following large-scale confirmatory tests with best CATTS treatments; document results of avocado and persimmon large-scale confirmatory tests. Develop approaches to avoid or reduce irradiation injury to bananas if necessary and document results; initiate quality studies following irradiation for other tropical crops with export market potential. Continue quality, nutritional, and microbial analyses of fresh and frozen papaya cubes and document results. Develop food processing models; develop methods for antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and tocopherol analyses of macadamia oil. Document results of dye technique, stink bug feeding patterns on macadamia nuts, and degree-day demography; explore using the dye to measure stink bug feeding under different weed control regimes. Document results of tolerance levels of Western flower thrips to various pesticides and temporal changes; initiate bioassays against vanda thrips and melon thrips, two another orchid quarantine pests. Complete phytotoxicity testing on a range of ornamental plants using chitosan and alginate polymers to develop water-resistant formulations of caffeine to control slugs and snails in ornamentals, and document results. 60 Months Complete irradiation dose response tests with white peach scale and red wax scale and document results. Investigate registration issues and technology transfer opportunities for oil and limonene to control quarantine pests in export ornamentals. Complete O3 fumigations against CBB eggs and document results of coffee quality, CBB survival on green coffee, and CBB fumigation data. Complete large-scale tests with CATTS treatments and document results. Document results for large-scale CATTS confirmatory tests for guava, longan and passion fruit. Continue quality studies following irradiation for other tropical crops with export market potential. Confirm processing models for macadamia nuts and document results. Begin experiments on oxidative stability and antioxidant compounds in macadamia kernels. Complete bioassays against vanda thrips and melon thrips; document results of pesticide resistance studies before and during area wide control program for orchid production. 4a.What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year? N/A for new Project 5320-43000-014-00D (see 4a for the single most significant accomplishment during FY 2004-2005 for terminating Project 5320-43000-013-00D). 4b.List other significant accomplishments, if any. N/A for new Project 5320-43000-014-00D (see 4b, other significant accomplishments for terminating Project 5320-43000-013-00D). 4c.List any significant activities that support special target populations. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. N/A, new Project Plan 5320-43000-014-00D only recently approved and initiated (see 5, major accomplishments over the life of terminating Project Plan 5320-43000-013-00D). 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? N/A for new Project Plan 5320-43000-014-00D (see 6, science and/or technology transfer for terminating Project Plan 5320-43000-013-00D). 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). N/A for new Project Plan 5320-43000-014-00D (see 6, most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work for terminating Project Plan 5320-43000-013-00D).