Question

Mango is given hot water treatment to control ____________.

• A. Fruit fly
• B. Mango hopper
• C. Anthracnose
• D. Spongy tissue

Hint:

For phytosanitary export requirements of mangoes, remember that:
- Hot Water Treatment (HWT) at \( 48^\circ\text{C} \) is primarily aimed at destroying Fruit fly eggs and larvae.
- Vapor Heat Treatment (VHT) is another common method used for the same purpose.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Hot Water Treatment (HWT) is a widely accepted non-chemical, post-harvest phytosanitary treatment used in the horticulture industry.
It is primarily utilized to disinfect mango fruits from quarantine pests and pathogens before export to international markets.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The mango fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) is a major quarantine pest that restricts the export of fresh mangoes from tropical countries to markets like the USA, Japan, and the EU.
Female fruit flies lay eggs just beneath the skin of ripening fruits, and the emerging larvae feed on the pulp, rendering the fruit unfit for consumption.
To eliminate these hidden immature stages (eggs and larvae) without leaving chemical residues, harvested mangoes are subjected to hot water treatment.
The standard protocol involves immersing the fruits in hot water maintained at a precise temperature of \( 48^\circ\text{C} \) for 60 minutes, or \( 46.1^\circ\text{C} \) for a specified duration depending on the fruit weight.
This thermal exposure effectively kills all life stages of the fruit fly present inside the fruit pulp.
While HWT at slightly higher temperatures (e.g., \( 52^\circ\text{C} \) for 10 minutes) is also beneficial in controlling post-harvest fungal pathogens like anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), the primary phytosanitary purpose of the standard commercial protocol is the eradication of the fruit fly.
Therefore, the most appropriate answer is Fruit fly.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (A).