Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 4 April 2017 | Page 22

Resources Managing fruit fly One of the problems with fruit flies is that they are highly polyphagous. That means, they attack pretty well any fruit they can manage to stick their ovipositor into. Fruit Fly Management for Vegetable Growers F ruit flies are not just a pest for stonefruit growers, but also affect growers of apples, mangos, strawberries, passionfruit, citrus and so the list goes on. Hosts even include fruiting vegetables such as capsicums, chillies and cucumbers. Horticulture Innovation Australia recently funded two projects into new in-field solutions to control fruit fly, using the vegetable R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Some of the options tested included insecticides, perimeter baiting, light traps and netting. So, for example, it was shown that applying bait at different heights influences its effectiveness, while nets can provide both a visual and physical barrier to flies entering a crop. The findings are summarised in a 32-page booklet entitled "Fruit fly management for vegetable growers". Produced by Applied Horticultural Research (AHR) as part of the project, the booklet describes the options available to producers of fruiting vegetables, and some of the pros and cons of each strategy. Of course, there are obvious differences between a peach orchard and a capsicum crop. However, information on different species, lifecycle, fly behaviour, monitoring and telling the difference between a fruit fly maggot and a THE BOOKLET CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE AHR WEBSITE AT ahr.com.au/pests- and-diseases/fruit-fly- management-for-vegetable-growers-new/ The key practices described in the guide are further demonstrated in a series of five short YouTube videos on controlling fruit fly in vegetables. These can also be viewed through the AHR website and cover topics including: 1. Targeted control. 2. Monitoring. 3. Food-based baits. 4. Male annihilation and female-biased traps. 5. Netting, repellents and field hygiene. Copies of the booklet and videos will be available at Hort Connections 2017 in Adelaide, as well as at field days and other events. vinegar fly maggot is just as useful for stonefruit growers. 22 Australian Stonefruit Grower | April 2017 summerfruit.com.au