BIOSECURITY
Mass trapping female fruit flies in vineyards Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) continues to be a problem in Sunraysia, with considerable implications for table grapes grown in this region.
mated female flies than commercially
said. “Does it complement the other
available traps in both stone and pome
management tools growers use? Will it
fruit orchards.
be cost-effective? We are keen to hear
In the Hort Innovation project, Agriculture Victoria is looking at how
Dr Jessi Henneken
protein traps, might be incorporated
Agriculture Victoria
into a mass trapping strategy
that aims to develop a mass trapping
specifically for table grapes.
around table grape vineyards. The project is funded by Hort Innovation using the table grape research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Female Qfly are responsible for damaging produce by stinging fruits and laying eggs, which develop into hungry grubs. A mass trapping strategy, where traps are placed in and around the vineyard to catch these flies, could help manage Qfly as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. The traps must contain a powerful attractant to lure the flies. The
“Vineyards are different environments to fruit orchards, so our first step has been to better understand how Qfly behave in and around the vineyard,” said Dr Paul Cunningham, who leads the project for Agriculture Victoria. “Last season, we set out different types of traps to explore this, and learnt quite a lot about trapping in vineyards – such as the importance of perimeter trapping, and targeting ‘hot spots’ such as host trees growing close to the vines,” Dr Cunningham said. The project is also conducting laboratory studies to examine whether different varieties of grapes are more
attraction of female Qfly to yeast-
susceptible to Qfly.
based protein baits has been well
“This was something we heard from
known for many years and is used in
growers, so we wanted to test it in the
bait sprays and traps such as Biotrap,
lab,” said Dr Jessi Henneken, who is
but research indicates that it is
leading the experimental work on this
predominantly young, unmated, female flies that are attracted to protein, which the flies need to develop eggs. Mated females have a decreased attraction to these baits and may avoid capture by the traps, going on to lay
project. “So far, our results suggest that different varieties of grape might indeed be more attractive to female Qfly, while other varieties better support larval development.”
their eggs in the crop.
The team intends to conduct more field
Over the last few years, Agriculture
are keen to share their findings with
Victoria has designed and field evaluated a trap that specifically targets mated female Qfly. The new trap mimics a juicy ripe fruit and combines a visual cue (a red sphere)
trials in the 2021/2022 season and the table grape industry and receive feedback that will help develop a mass trapping strategy that is well-suited for table grapes.
with a specially designed synthetic
“We want to make sure that any mass
fruit odour. In field trials the new
trapping strategy we develop is
trap captured significantly more
practical for growers,” Dr Henneken
30 VINE MAGAZINE
management strategies.” v
this new trap, together with existing
In 2020, a new project kicked off strategy targeting female Qfly in and
from the people who will be using the