ABSTRACT
260Over the last 25 years, there have been several cycles of interest in and research on the development of nonchemical, postharvest quarantine treatments for agricultural commodities. This interest was directly related to the Montreal Protocol and the identification of methyl bromide, the most popular and widely used fumigant in the world, as an ozone depleter and therefore a threat to the environment. A majority of these treatments have focused on high and low temperature extremes, controlled and modified atmospheres, and irradiation. Combination treatments using various physical treatments simultaneously or in succession have been investigated as a means to adequately control quarantine pests while preserving the integrity of the commodity. A combination treatment, termed CATTS for Controlled Atmosphere Temperature Treatment System, was developed to address the specific problems with commodity intolerance to prolonged exposure to high temperatures and pest tolerance to these extremes. The system optimizes on the relative tolerance to most fresh horticultural commodities to short-term low-oxygen, high-carbon-dioxide environments, and pest intolerance to the heat stress in such environments. This chapter covers the inception of the CATTS treatments and the researchers involved, the equipment, model systems that have been developed, the treatments for various commodity–pest combinations, and recommendations for the development of future CATTS treatments for other host/pest complexes.
