Area-wide monitoring and control are essential to prevent fruit losses and maintain sustainable production. By Ilyaas Rhoda. South Africa’s reputation as a leading exporter of high-quality fruit relies on effective pest management to meet strict international phytosanitary standards. FruitFly Africa…
Climate change is driving biological invasions in temperate European zones. What is being done to protect agriculture? By Engela Duvenage. Warmer weather is increasingly allowing tropical pests and other species to persist throughout winter, and become problems, according to applied…
Dr Aruna Manrakhan of Citrus Research International reviews its use in South African citrus and deciduous fruit. By Engela Duvenage. “Prior to 1980, fruit industries relied on single-point disinfestation treatments to mitigate insect pest risks,” said Manrakhan. “The ban or…
South African fruit must meet phytosanitary requirements to access certain key markets. How are these determined?
Understanding the cold sterilisation of dual-temperature plums. By Esté Beerwinkel. Yin and yang describe how seemingly opposite forces may actually be complementary. Dual-temperature plums need both moderate and cold temperatures to be successful on the international markets. In this Q&A,…
Researchers turn to nature for help. By Engela Duvenage. Does nature provide its own little helpers to support the South African agricultural sector in controlling its fruit fly problem? Indeed, said Dr Pia Addison, upon reflecting on four years of…
Detection data should inform regulation. By Engela Duvenage. An ominous anniversary of sorts was celebrated on 5 June 2019 when Prof. James Carey from the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of California, Davis gave an overview of…
Factors influencing dispersal in Oriental fruit flies. By Grethe Bestbier. “At the moment the Western Cape is an Oriental fruit fly free area, and we want to maintain it like that,” says Prof. Chris Weldon from the Department of Zoology…
How Oriental fruit flies differ from Mediterranean fruit flies. By Grethe Bestbier. The Mediterranean fruit fly has long been established across South Africa and now a new kid on the block has appeared: the Oriental fruit fly. While both Mediterranean…