A comparison of expulsion methods for thrips and aphids from asparagus spears

Energy, ultrasound, and chemical treatments for the disinfestation of fresh asparagus spears

“…Insect infestation in asparagus spears involves mainly thrips, but the variety of insects depends on the different weeds in the plot or in surrounding vegetation (Watson and Townsend 1981). The thrips species most commonly found in asparagus spears are Thrips tabaci and Apterothrips apteris, formerly Apterothrips secticornis (van Epenhuijsen and Wright 1994).…”

“…Disinfestation of fresh asparagus spears is required for export of fresh asparagus from New Zealand to markets with strict quarantine regulations. Methods for asparagus disinfestation were sometimes ineffective (van Epenhuijsen and Wright 1994), resulted in unacceptable residues (Carpenter 1987) or affected the firmness of spears (Rohitha et al 1992). Oils and maldison affected the smell and appearance of spears after treatments (Waller 1990).…”

“…Penetration of liquids into air pockets under the bracts is a major problem when applying disinfestation treatments in solution to asparagus. Water retention-reducing liquids, such as organo-silicone copolymer penetrants, and surface-active agents such as Pulse penetrant and saponified fatty acids enabled penetration of air pockets (Rohitha et al 1992;van Epenhuijsen and Wright 1994). Thrips were killed or expelled from the spears using these chemicals.…”