Monitoring and sanitization of berries orchards to counteract pest propagation Drosophila suzukii
A call to be alert and to permanently monitor the orchards to mitigate the impact of the plague Drosophila suzukii, They made presentations at a technical seminar organized by INIA and SAG in Chillán to know and control the progress of this insect in the berries orchards. This is due to the fact that the insect is already present, but in such low quantities that it does not generate economic damage in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, so they emphasized the need to take preventive measures to prevent this pest from reproducing explosively and damaging the production of fruit.
The researcher from INIA Quilamapu, Luis Devotto, explained that usually the first reaction of farmers is to apply insecticides to protect the fruit, but this strategy works only one or two years and that in the medium and long term another type of measures must be implemented . He indicated that the situation is complicated by organic producers, since it is in Ñuble that the country's organic berry production is concentrated. "A conventional producer has around 20 different products to apply, but organic only two, so it is imperative to combine strategies," said the entomologist.
Devotto was one of the five seminar speakers at the seminar "Spotted wing fly management options Drosophila suzukii in fruit trees of importance for the Ñuble region ", which also featured the researcher from the University of Oregon (United States) Marco Rossi, the agronomist of the SAG, Ruth Castro; and the researchers of INIA Quilamapu Cristián Balbontín and Juan Hirzel.
Preventive actions
The INIA Quilamapu researcher argued that to prevent this insect (also known as spotted fly) from reaching an orchard, strict measures should be adopted: train workers not to enter fruit into the fields, maintain channels and paths free of blackberry and other wild fruits, not leaving abandoned fruit in the plants when the harvest ends, among others. This should be done especially if the garden is close to tourist areas, since holidaymakers are the main means of dispersal of this tiny fly of 3 millimeters long.
Meanwhile, the agronomist of the SAG, Ruth Castro, stressed that the management and control of Drosophila suzukii they must be made by the producers themselves. "Everyone should be concerned about their garden, which implies carrying out an integrated management of the pest, monitor it and adopt cultural sanitation actions" detailed the professional, adding that these measures should be carried out from the moment the fruit begins to paint, until after the harvest
Bad decisions that help the plague
The low prices of raspberries in the current season can become good news for the pest, since the low value of the fruit leads some producers not to harvest so as not to work at a loss.
Devotto explained that "before the arrival of this fly to Chile, not harvesting was not a major problem, since the overripe fruit falls and decomposes in the soil. Instead, now, unharvested fruit becomes the ideal place for Drosophila suzukii reproduce, sharpening the problem for the next season. "
Finally, the INIA Quilamapu entomologist explained that the berry producers are accustomed to having the most important pests under the ground, being able to control them throughout the year. "Drosophila suzukii it changes this habit, because it is present in the aerial part of the plant and also coincides with the harvest, which marks an important difference in the management of the garden, "he concluded.
Where is the plague present?
The SAG professional, Ruth Castro, said that the area of greatest risk and where the insect is present is six, from the Maule Region to the Los Lagos region. "In this long stretch, all producers have to be very attentive, monitoring and evaluating their gardens. For climatic reasons, the pest should cause fewer problems to the north (Metropolitan, Valparaíso and O'Higgins) and to the south (Aysén), regions where the pest has not yet been detected, but it is likely to arrive soon, so also those producers have to be vigilant. "
Drosophila suzukii will adapt to the conditions of Chile
University of Oregon researcher Marco Rossi is a respected opinion on the matter, having worked with this insect both in his native Italy, and in the US, where he currently lives. “Chile has many climates and the damage it can cause Drosophila suzukii it will depend on their adaptation to them. That's why it's hard for us to know how big those impacts will be. "
Rossi added that it is not possible to indicate in how much longer the effects of the pest will become more visible, since the foreign experience is different to the Chilean case. "In Europe and the United States (where the plague appeared in 2010) first the farmers lost between a third and half of the harvest and then we started looking for the causes. Only at that moment did we know that we had Drosophila suzukii. Thanks to the SAG of you implemented a preventive surveillance system, here in Chile they discovered the insect before it has invaded the commercial gardens, which gives them some years of advantage to fight it before the populations are unmanageable. If prepared properly, the damage could be not as bad as what was normally seen in Italy and Oregon. "
The specialist valued the joint work of SAG, INIA, INDAP and the producers to counteract the action of the plague. "I realized that the producers are working together with the research and transfer agencies, which provide the guidelines to face Drosophila suzukii. It is the best way to proceed. "
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