An oil which protects export-quality citrus from an unwanted peel pest has been developed by Australian researchers. Extensive testing by these scientists has proved that the new specially-formulated food-grade oil is effective in protecting fruit from the surface pest, light-brown apple moth.
The South Australian Agriculture Minister, Mr Rory McEwen, said the use of the new oil would avert the need for the fruit to be fumigated using methyl bromide which was not only costly, but also slowed down the packing process and greatly reduced the shelf-life of fruit. The use of the oil during the packing process will mean growers will be able to reduce their use of pesticide sprays on their orchards which can cause problems with residues, insect resistance and pest resurgence.
Research into the food-grade oil by entomologist, Dr Peter Taverner, found the oil treatment was more than 99 per cent effective in removing this major quarantine pest.
