POSTHARVEST TREATMENT OF CELERY APIUM GRAVEOLENS USING ESSENTIAL OILS AND COLD TREATMENT TO CONTROL SPRINGTAILS HYPOGASTRURA VERNALIS (COLLEMBOLA: HYPOGASTRURIDAE)

Australia produces celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) for both home and international markets. Celery can be exported to other countries after postharvest treatment, which terminates springtail infestation. In the field, celery bunches act as a home for the springtail (Hypogastrura vernalis) (Collembola: Hypogastruridae), a native of Australia. Springtails are insects that dwell inside celery bunches but do not destroy the produce. However, springtails, which are regarded as a quarantine pest and have significantly affected exports of celery, are a concern. This experiment tested the effects of essential oils and cold treatments on springtail mortality in fresh celery. Eucalyptus and rosemary and their mixture at the concentration of 5% as well as four different cold treatment treatments 3, 5, 10, and 15ºC were used over four treatment periods 3, 5, 7, and 14 days. Springtail mortality in rosemary essential oil was 21.66, followed by 18.66 in the mixture of eucalyptus and rosemary compared with eucalyptus essential oil and was 15.33 mortality. The mortality of springtail was not affected by the 3, 5, 10, and 15ºC treatments for the treatment periods of 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. Phytotoxicity on celery bunches was absent with the use of essential oils. However, cold treatment damage was observed most noticeably on celery in the 3 and 5ºC treatments.