Spotted Wing Drosophila, a well-known pest that infests ripe, ready-to-eat fruit, poses a significant threat to farmers because it is very difficult to control with standard pesticides. A new approach to tackling this pest involves manipulating the behavior of these insects by disguising healthy fruit as if it were infected with an unappealing pathogen.
By studying the specific odors emitted by infected fruit, researchers have identified the chemicals that repel the flies when applied to healthy fruit and are developing a slow-release device to disperse these fruity odors in the field, ensuring that they do not come into direct contact with the fruit. This method provides a new tool to help farmers protect their crops without relying exclusively on insecticides.
Source: USDA
Image: USDA
26 Feb 2024
Up to the sixth week, 82,452,392 five-kilo cases of cherries were exported in the 2023/2024 season, and although this figure is lower than the 83,220,842 cases exported in the 2022/2023 season, the figures are predictable after a difficult year for producers.
04 Apr 2024
Cherry Growers Australia partnered with Agriculture Victoria in 2022-23 on an innovative project to develop on-farm traceability and build, diversify and protect exports by developing traceability from producer to consumer.
22 Jan 2025
‘This season will not be bad for Argentinian exporters. Prices were maintained thanks to the quality of the cherries. We lacked volume, which unfortunately affected producers in Chubut,' said CAPCI Director General Aníbal Caminiti.
22 Jan 2025
A four-year project has started in 2021 to investigate the most innovative physical protection methods available. The activity is carried out thanks to a partnership between Consorzio della Ciliegia IGP di Vignola, Consorzio Fitosanitario di Modena and the University of Bologna.
