Freezing Treatments for Ectomyelois ceratoniae Mortality and Maintenance of Deglet Noor Palm Date Quality

Table 1

Effect of freezing treatments (−18°C) on Ectomyelois ceratoniae mortality in infested Deglet Noor date fruits.

Treatments	Samples	No. of dates	Noninfested dates		Natural infested dates		Stage of E. ceratoniae						Other pests		Feces and webbing of larvae
		n	n	%	n	%	Young instars		Old instars		Pupae		n	%	n
							n	Mortality	n	Mortality	n	Mortality
50 h	Untreated	300	131	44	169	56	36	0	56	0	8	0	5	0	64
	Treated	300	141	47	159	53	38	100	63	100	7	100	3	100	48
77 h	Untreated	300	76	25	224	75	68	0	54	0	8	0	8	0	86
	Treated	300	75	25	225	75	52	100	72	100	10	100	22	100	69
125 h	Untreated	300	63	21	237	79	89	0	59	0	16	0	18	0	55
	Treated	300	66	22	234	78	70	100	50	100	11	100	17	100	86

Untreated samples: date fruits kept at room temperature (20°C); treated samples: date fruits kept at −18°C; n: number.