Argentinean Blueberries’ Producers bet on the eradication of the fruit fly

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New control technique introduced within a National Programmme of Government

Producers of the Argentinean Blueberry Committee (ABC) informed today about the advances of the plan to control the fruit fly.

In 2016, the regionals APRATUC (Association of Blueberries’ Producers of Tucuman – NWA) and APAMA (Association of Producers of Blueberries from Argentina’s Mesopotamia – NEA) intensified the monitoring programme as a plague diagnosis and evolution tool, adding up to the PROCEM-SENASA (National Service of Sanitation and Agricultural Food Quality) plan, resulting in a larger number of points of study and keeping the monitoring during the 12 month period in both zones, with monthly reports of the plague’s condition.

This year, a new agreement in Concordia was included between SENASA-PROVINCE-APAMA for the audit and certification for air application.

In the northwest (NW) of the country, Salta was the pioneer to coordinate a jointly work between National SENASA, Provincial COPROSAVE, and two private companies: Extraberries and Citrus Lules, from south province. Its result is the inclusion of the Metán area to the National Programme of the elimination of the fruit fly (PROCEM) as from August 2017 with the monitoring.

“We’ve been hardly working in phytosanitary requirements through actions coordinated with regional institutions, state governments and private sectors. We aim to firstly reach a low plague prevalence zone and then a total eradication of it” said Federico Bayá, President of ABC. 

According to ABC, the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) consists in releasing male sterile flies, which by mating a wild female allows the Ceratits Capitata control, best known as Mediterranean fly.  It is a biological method which slowly decreases fly population without affecting the environment or generating a negative impact on biodiversity.

“In 2017, it was also implemented a demonstrative programme of SIT in Concordia area financed by APAMA and SENASA.  As part of the programme, trainings were given, with the main world experts in the subject, to all area technicians. Ceratits Capitata male sterile flies were released produced in the biofactory of Mendoza, in 2 establishments, and the impact is being under assessment”, said Alejandro Pannunzio, Vicepresident of ABC.

The 2018 project is to cover all the Concordia area within a frame of an integrated plague control, combining the different tools, such as air applications in buffer areas and also in general zones so as to have a low FTD (flies per trap per day) compatible with the male sterile release.

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is the most effective for control and the economically most convenient in long terms. It helps blueberries’ crops and other landlords such as citrics, and is, as well, friendly to environment.