Hawaii lemons and limes declared safe for export after fruit fly studies

Hawaiian lemons and limes have cleared a major hurdle for international trade. New research by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the USDA shows that commercial, undamaged ‘Lisboa’ lemons and ‘Persian/Tahití’ limes grown in Maui act as non-hosts for three quarantine-relevant fruit flies: Mediterranean, oriental, and melon fly.

The findings come from years of lab trials, field cage tests, and large-scale inspections. In one peer-reviewed study, more than 58,000 harvested ‘Lisboa’ lemons were monitored for six weeks without a single larva or pupa emerging. Similar results confirmed that only damaged fruit poses any significant risk, while intact fruit represents negligible exposure.

Peter Follett, an entomologist at the USDA’s Daniel K. Inouye Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, explained that the studies confirm undamaged fruit is naturally resistant to infestation and therefore carries only a minimal risk when exported.

Any move toward broader market access will still depend on APHIS negotiations and recognition by importing countries. But with USDA laboratories in Georgia and California backing the research, Maui’s citrus growers may be closer to shipping greater volumes beyond the islands and tapping new international markets.

soruce: frutasdechile.cl, ecfr.gov

photo: phys.org