Sweet persimmons are valuable commodity in the export market. However, present of insect pest such as Asiacornococcus kaki can cause limit to many export markets. In this study, ethyl formate(EF), as alternative to methyl bromide(MB), was used in scale-up commercial trial(20ft reefer). Application of 50 g/m3 of EF for 6 hours at 5 ℃ showed proven efficacy against all developmental stages of A. kaki without LLDPE-packaging fruits and no phytotoxic damage on sweet persimmons. This study demonstrated that EF fumigation can be effectively control to target A. kaki before packaging with LLDPE-film of fruits.

The effects of cold storage temperature and exposure duration on immature stages of spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) on ‘Campbell Early’ grapes were examined to establish a phytosanitary control method. The immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) of SWD were all dead after a 6-day cold treatment at 1°C and 8-day cold treatment at 1.5 and 2°C. Small-scale tests using pupae, which were the most-cold tolerant stage, confirmed the validity of the selected temperature and exposure durations. Conversely, the 8- and 10-day at 1°C treatments showed 100% mortality, suggesting that these treatments can guarantee quarantine security against infestations of SWD on exported ‘Campbell Early’ grapes.

This study was done to evaluate the efficacy of Vapormate (ethyl formate 16.7 % + CO2) as an methyl bromide-alternative fumigant. Some insect pests and mites were found under calyx of sweet persimmon fruits, including grape-myrtle scale, two-spotted spider mite, Amblyseius eharai. Vapormate fumigation was equally toxic to miticide- susceptible and -resistant T. urticae showing 100 % mortality at higher concentration than 146.7 and 211.0 mg/L, respectively. In persimmon-filled desiccator, summer and overwintering types of T. urticae showed 100 % mortality at higher concentration than 163.7 and 265.8 mg/L, respectively. Sweet persimmon damage from vapormate fumigation was not shown by the days after treatment. Tolerance of each live stage of grape-myrtle scale was in descending order: egg < nymph < adult. EF 141.5 mg h L-1 for 6 h at 5 ℃ killed 100 % of the larvae of D. punctiferalis. The final scaled-up fumigation confirmed the efficacy of EF to target pests and non-phytotoxicity on persimmons. In conclusion, EF may become a MB alternative fumigant for sweet persimmon, and the LC99 values of EF may be used to practical applications to all kinds of insects and mites on harvested sweet persimmon.