Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 31

Research
Progress so far

outnumber the wild male population.
As a result, wild females have limited
opportunity to mate with wild males.
The outcome of this disruption
to mating is the suppression,
or eradication, of subsequent
generations of the wild flies.
For SITplus, male flies will be
reared in a factory in Port Augusta,
South Australia, then sterilised and

The technique is now used
worldwide on a range of
insects, including multiple
fruit flies, tsetse fly,
mosquitoes, screwworm,
codling moth and painted
apple moth.

released from the air.

Since kicking off in November 2014,

the SITplus partnership has managed
some significant early achievements.
At the time of writing, construction of
a factory to produce sterile male flies
by Primary Industries and Regions
South Australia (PIRSA) was nearing
completion, on time and on budget.
The factory is located in Port Augusta
and will have a minimum capacity of

The “plus” in SITplus emphasises

50 million flies per week. PIRSA is

that the aim of the partnership is about more

currently advertising for a factory manager to

than just raising and releasing sterile Qfly. The objective

develop operations of the factory. The factory is expected to

of SITplus is about innovative science to cost-effectively

officially open before the end of 2016.

produce effective male only flies for release. It also aims

Macquarie University research supporting fly production

to provide a framework of integrated ecological and

has developed a new feed strategy for fly larvae that can

behavioural science, maximising the impact of those

significantly increase production capability and reduce

flies when released as part of an area-wide management

factory staff levels by up to a third. This efficiency gain will

program.

mean cheaper and more flies.

SIT with Qfly can protect current pest-free areas such as

An economic analysis of the costs of fly management,

South Australia, help growers work towards resumption of

market loss and willingness to pay for fly management is

recently lost pest-free area status such as in the Sunraysia,

well advanced. Modelling of the fly in the environment is

and assist growers management plans in areas of low

also well progressed and will help ensure the most effective

pressure such as the Murray/Goulburn region.

targeting of sterile flies. Community engagement has seen

SIT is a well-established technique with a history
of development dating back to the 1930s. The first
implementation of SIT took place in 1954 against New

significant interaction with grower groups in the Riverland,
Sunraysia and Goulburn/Murray Valley regions.
At this stage, plans for the factory involve a period of

World screwworm. That program successfully eradicated

developing fly production and documenting processes,

the pest from the island of Curaçao, off the coast of

followed by test releases of a bi-sex strain. It is expected

Venezuela, in just seven weeks. It then led to a broad-scale

that a male-only strain of the fly will introduced into the

successful program in the USA in the 1960s and 1970s.

factory in 2018 and the first releases of fit male-only sterile

The technique is now used worldwide on a range of
insects, including multiple fruit flies, tsetse fly, mosquitoes,

flies should commence in the summer of 2018/19.
During that development period, SITplus will continue

screwworm, codling moth and painted apple moth. A

to engage with industry to develop how the fly will be

review of a medfly SIT program in Mexico stated that their

released, where it will be released and how the scheme will

SIT program protects a fruit and vegetable export market

be paid for.

of over $3 billion/year through an annual investment of

SITplus partnership members are Agriculture Victoria,

around $25 million. Medfly-free status, achieved with SIT,

CSIRO, Macquarie University, NSW Department of

has been estimated to have opened markets for Chile’s fruit

Primary Industries, Plant and Food Research, Primary

exports worth up to $500 million.

Industries and Regions South Australia, South Australian
Research and Development Institute and Hort Innovation.

summerfruit.com.au

august 2016 | Australian Stonefruit Grower

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