Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 30

Research

Progress in the
SITplus program

In a refreshing change to
addressing major issues
in horticulture, a group
of research organisations
and the government
have teamed up with
Horticulture Innovation
Australia in a combined
effort to develop the Sterile
Insect Technique (SIT) for
Queensland fruit fly (Qfly),
potentially transforming the
way this pest is managed in
Australia.

The SITPlus facility
under construction in
Port Augusta, SA.
Photo: D. Ryan

By Dan Ryan, SITplus Program director

T

he organisations have come together as SITplus. The group will
coordinate a five-year, $45 million research and development program on

Qfly through a strategic, coordinated and national approach. In good news for
growers, that unprecedented level of investment has been leveraged off less
than $2 million in grower levies or co-contributions.
As a summerfruit grower or supply chain member, you will fully appreciate
Qfly’s status as a major, endemic pest in the Australian horticultural sector.
Fruit flies damage produce in the field, leading to yield losses, as well as
impacting the health status of crops for international market access.
A recent study by the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre
estimated that Qfly costs Australia’s horticulture sector $300 per annum
in control lost markets. The SITplus partnership aims to develop SIT as a
cornerstone to how Qfly is managed in Australia, helping to address those
significant industry losses.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project
has been funded by Horticulture
Innovation Australia Ltd multiple
industry levies and funds from the
Australian Government (MT13059)

30

Australian Stonefruit Grower | august 2016

So, what is SIT?

SIT involves the strategic release into the wild of large numbers of male fruit
flies that have been sterilised. Enough sterile male flies are released to greatly
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