Interception of Insect Pests using X-Ray Radiography during Quarantine of Plant Genetic Resources

X-ray radiography is a tool used in quarantine processing of 340 plant genera for detection of hidden infestation. X-ray of 22,146 samples belonging to 55 plant genera from a total of 9,48,751 imported samples of various crops during 2007- 2016 revealed presence of hidden infestation caused by bruchids and phytophagous chalcids in 1971 samples. Seven exotic bruchid species viz., Acanthoscelides desmanthi in Desmanthus spp. from Colombia, A. obtectus in Phaseolus vulgaris from South Africa and USA and in Lathyrus sativus from Lebanon; Bruchus atomarius in Lens culinaris from Lebanon; B. dentipes in Vicia spp. from ICARDA (Syria) and Lebanon; B. ervi in Pisum sativum and L. sativus from Lebanon and Lens culinaris from ICARDA (Syria), Lebanon, Morocco and Syria; B. tristis in L. culinaris and Lathyrus sativus from Lebanon and ICARDA (Syria), respectively; Callosobruchus subinnotatus in V. subterranea from Ghana and one seed chalcid Bruchophagus roddi in Trifolium pratense from USA were intercepted. Many of these were intercepted repeatedly from the same/ different source(s) year after year. All the infested samples were salvaged either through X-ray radiography or by using suitable disinfestation treatments. Many of the intercepted pests are not yet reported from India, and are therefore, of high quarantine significance.