Global warming: New species of fruit fly threaten fruit cultivation
Friday, 29.11.2019 General
e-nema GmbH is one of 21 partners in the European research project Fruit-Flies In-silico , called ‘FF IPM’.
The project 'FF IPM' ('In-silico boosted, pest prevention and off-season focused IPM against new and emerging fruit flows') focuses on three immigrant fruit fly species. They have a broad spectrum of host plants and pose an immediate threat to European fresh fruit production:
- Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitate)
- Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)
- Peach fruit fly (Bactrocera zonata)
On the one hand, the flies are spread via natural migration into new, climate-suitable areas, as well as through the transport of infested fruits through trade and tourism.
To this project, Dr. Arne Peters (e-nema GmbH) and his team will bring their expertise on biocontrol with beneficial nematodes. They are researching a suitable formulation in which entomopathogenic nematodes can be used successfully against these fruit flies.