Microwave and Radio-Frequency Technologies in Agriculture

18 Quarantine and Biosecurity

Dried timber, nuts and fruits are commonly treated by chemical fumigation to control field and storage pests before being shipped to domestic and international markets. Because chemical fumigants such as methyl bromide are no longer available (Carter, et al. 2005), there is a heightened interest in developing non–chemical pest control. An important key to developing successful thermal treatments is to balance the need for complete insect mortality with minimal impact on the product quality. A common difficulty in using conventional hot–air disinfestation is the slow heating rate, non–uniform temperature distribution, and possible heat damage to heat– sensitive commodities (Wang, et al. 2003). A more promising approach ...