Fruit Fly Alert reduces costs for proper management

Reduction of costs with agrochemicals, information on the moment of control and quick decision making. This is the final evaluation of the Fruit Fly Alert System in peach orchards in Serra Gaúcha for the 2019/2020 harvest.

For Marcos Botton, entomologist and head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Uva e Vinho, “the alert system is an important step towards food safety and traceability. It is a tool for producers who are implementing good agricultural practices aimed at food safety, providing a product without non-conformities in terms of residues, because the fly population is influenced by several factors such as climatic conditions and phenological stages of the peach tree”.

Giseli Boldrin Rossi produces peaches and grapes in Nova Pádua, RS and managed to reduce costs with insecticides when there was no population of flies in the orchard traps:  “this year, as we had monitoring, every week that had no population, was a week without the use of insecticide. This meant a reduction in production costs, and peace of mind, as we were no longer afraid of flies attacking.”

In addition to the alert indicating the number of flies in the orchard, the Bulletin also provided tips on other possible biotic and abiotic agents that could damage the crop. Producer Giseli confirms the interest in the tips: “we had weeks of heavy rain when the warning about bacteriosis came. In the driest weeks, a warning about mites was issued and it worked very well. And it really was confirmed. These alerts of possible diseases that could be emerging in the same week helped a lot with the application of the right products for treatment.”

In addition to being used by producers, the Bulletin was also used by technicians in the interior of the state. Jéssica Zalamena, agricultural technician, rural extensionist at Emater/RS-Ascar in Cotiporã, RS, confirms the use of the Bulletin with producers to publicize the numbers of flies in orchards and discuss decision-making in orchard management. In the municipality, the suggestion of some families is to expand the use of the Bulletin to citrus fruits.

The Fruit Fly Alert System bulletin is a partnership between Embrapa Uva e Vinho and Emater/RS-Ascar. Enio Ângelo Todeschini, agronomist, rural extensionist at Emater/RS-Ascar considers this tool very important for extensionists, for research and for producers:  “It is the third year in practice and we are expanding and doing everything to keep the System. It is an instrument that contributes to rationalizing the use of agrochemicals and food safety.”

Fruit Fly Alert System in Serra Gaúcha

Since 2017, Embrapa Uva e Vinho (Bento Gonçalves, RS) and Emater/RS-Ascar have expanded the fruit fly monitoring system in peach orchards in Serra Gaúcha. This harvest, in addition to monitoring the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves, Farroupilha, Pinto Bandeira and Veranópolis, in response to producers' requests, the System reached Caxias do Sul, Cotiporã, Nova Pádua and São Marcos. These municipalities are responsible for 90% of the production of stone fruits (peaches and plums) for fresh consumption in the state. The System has a partnership with IFRS-Campus Bento Gonçalves and the Municipal Departments of Agriculture, with the participation of 40 producers and two research stations, in which pest monitoring is carried out.

Monitoring is carried out from August to January during the harvest by a technical team of researchers and extensionists who meet to evaluate the data collected and make recommendations for the most appropriate management during the period. Weekly bulletins are prepared with tips and guidance for the correct use of control actions, subsequently sent to representatives of the regional production chain.

Click here and learn about the Fruit Fly Alert System.