New experiment to combat the carambola fly is installed in Amapá

A product with already proven efficiency in combating the carambola fly (Bactrocera carambolae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the laboratory is now being tested in a natural environment. The product in wax form was placed on the stems of fruit trees located in the district of Fazendinha, Km 9 and Coração, in the municipality of Macapá (AP).Researcher Marcos Botton, from Embrapa Uva e Vinho (Bento Gonçalves, RS), one of the references in Brazil in studies of attractants and toxic baits for insects, and responsible for installing the new experiment, explained that the attract-kill system was adopted, which consists of using the product formulated based on splat methyl eugenol (wax) and spinosad (organic insecticide). The locations for attaching the baits were selected together with the local team from Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Map).   

The splat methyl eugenol + spinosad formulation has the advantage of being resistant to washing off by rainwater and allows the application to be mechanized in areas of infestation. “It is a commercial product that we need to validate in the field, and as Amapá is the environment and concentration of the pest, tests are carried out in that state. We had two days of applying the product and the evaluation will begin next week. For two months the experiment will be monitored to verify the effect of the application on reducing the carambola fly population”, added Botton. He completed a five-day work schedule in Macapá and researcher Rubem Machota Junior, a postdoctoral fellow at Embrapa Uva e Vinho who is part of the research team, remains in Amapá for another week to monitor the first evaluations.

At Embrapa Amapá, Marcos Botton visited the facilities of the Plant Protection building, where the entomology laboratory (study of insects), fruit fly breeding, the biological control laboratory and the natural enemy breeding room operate. , in addition to technologies used in the chemical and biological control of fruit flies, and experiments with new attractants. On the occasion, he answered questions and exchanged information with researchers Ricardo Adaime da Silva, Adilson Lopes Lima and Cristiane Ramos de Jesus Barros, who work on fruit fly research. The technical visit and the fieldwork alignment meeting were accompanied by the interim general manager of Embrapa Amapá, by the local superintendent of the Ministry of Agriculture, José Victor Torres Alves Costa, by the technical manager of the company contacted by Mapa to combat the fly -da-carambola in Amapá.

According to Embrapa Amapá researcher Cristiane Ramos de Jesus Barros, leader of the research on carambola flies, this is one of the experiments where products are tested in addition to those already used by the National Carambola Fly Eradication Program ( PNEMC), which is coordinated by Mapa. The intention is to expand the technology options for controlling and combating the pest. “In general, the objective is to arrive at strategies that present, at least, the same efficiency as existing technologies, but with less environmental impact and greater safety for people”, explained the researcher. Embrapa's expectation is to contribute with products based on “cleaner” technologies, meeting the demands of the PNEMC. 

Carambola fly in Brazil The carambola fly is a quarantine pest with a presence restricted to the states of Amapá and Roraima, under official control of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). It causes damage not only to the star fruit tree, but also to the guava tree, acerola tree, mango tree, jambeiro tree, among others from a list of 21 hosts in Amapá. Originally from Southeast Asia, it is considered an invasive species in Brazil, Suriname, the Republic of Guyana and French Guiana. In Brazil, it was registered in 1996 in Oiapoque, a municipality in the extreme north of Amapá. The studies led by Embrapa Amapá meet the demands of the National Carambola Fly Eradication Program (PNEMC), coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture with the objective of promoting research for biological safety and zoophytosanitary defense of Brazilian agriculture and forestry production.