Emeritus Professor Dick Drew

Complete fruit fly management

Background

Prof. Dick Drew AM;

Emeritus Prof. Griffith University

50 years in fruit fly research in Asia Pacific

140 scientific papers & monographs covering

taxonomy, ecology & pest management of

tropical pest fruit flies

Needs across Australia

On-farm control

Area freedom for export

Managing many major pest species

Seven in eastern/northern Australia

Medfly in WA

Variables

Many susceptible crops

Different cultivation systems

Wide ranging climatic types

Underpinning Knowledge

Over six decades of research on Qld

Fruit Fly (QFF)

Thorough understanding of behaviour in

host plants/orchards

Great platform for development of control

strategies

New Synthetic Female Lure

Chemical analyses of fruit volatiles

Identified and tested chemicals on QFF

Result - combination of chemicals

highly attractive to mature female QFF

Trap Development

Cobalt blue round shape

Slow release gel

Sticky surface

Department name (Edit in View > Header and Footer)

Field Testing

Five years – over 30 in-field experiments

Major result – greater than 90% of fruit flies

trapped were mature egg-laying females

Five major field control trials

Protein Bait Spray Research

Protein Bait Spray Research

Two yeast-based baits – Natflav & Bugs For

Bugs

Natflav surpasses Bugs For Bugs for attracting

female fruit flies

Gel formulations – three-fold increase in toxicity

over six days’ weathering

Recommended Technologies

Fruition traps – mature females

Gelatinised Natflav protein bait – immature

females

Combination targets entire female population

Current trap designed for QFF

Field trials – Farm 1

Kensington Pride mango plantation

One Fruition trap/tree

2.8% crop loss vs 25% in untreated

trees

Kensington Pride mango plantation

Fruition Traps – Monitoring only

Weekly Gel Natflav sprays

January 2016 - EcoNaturalure – Grower estimate 50% crop loss

January 2017 - No Crop Loss

Feijoa plantation

Fruition Traps + Gel yeast bait

2% crop loss vs 96% in untreated trees

Field trials – Farm 2

Persimmons

540 trees (trellised)

1.2 Ha.

40 Fruition Traps

Weekly Gel Natflav Sprays

2016 – Grower estimate 30% crop loss

27/2/2017 – No Damage

Field trials – Farm 2

Conclusion

Fruition - completes fruit fly management

Fully research-based

Outstanding impact on managing fruit fly

problems

Acknowledgements

Griffith University

AgNova Technologies

Emeritus Professor Dick Drew

Complete fruit fly management