New trap for pesky fruit fly will help stop crop rot, Queensland inventor says

Updated October 11, 2016 14:40:26

A breakthrough fruit fly trap may spell the end of economic loss for farmers who struggle with rotten fruit.

Professor Dick Drew from Griffith University developed the Fruition trap over 30 years of investigating fruit fly behaviour.

He said the trap would enable farmers to substantially reduce financial deficits they experience from losing rotten crops.

"Fruit flies damage fruit by laying eggs just under the skin of the fruit," Professor Drew said.

"The eggs hatch into maggots and then the fruit rots and falls to the ground.

"It's going to save their crops and make a very big contribution to the economy in saving fresh fruit crops."

Professor Drew said the trap was based on the chemicals that attract the flies in to the orchard.

He also said the Australian invention was the first of its kind to specifically target female egg-laying flies before they attack the fruit.

"The females are attracted to the fruit to lay eggs, whereas the males must be attracted to other odours produced by fruit trees and other trees," Professor Drew said.

"We're really targeting the attractant chemicals coming off fresh fruit that attract the females to lay their eggs."

The trap is also Australia's first non-toxic fruit fly control measure.

"For the last 40 years or more our farmers have been able to use insecticide cover sprays where they cover spray orchards with thousands of litres of insecticides," Professor Drew said.

"The [Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority] has now withdrawn the use of these cover sprays so farmers now have very little they can use to protect their orchards, so this trap has come at the right time and is going to provide a very good solution for farmers.

"It's much, much better for human health, and also much better for the environment."

Professor Drew hoped it would be on the market by the end of October.

"The Australian company AgNova has worked with Griffith University to develop the lure and trap and they have resellers around Australia who are going to sell it," he said.

Topics: academic-research, science-and-technology, qld

First posted October 11, 2016 07:29:43