There are more than 50 major pest fruit fly species known and their worldwide economic impact on crop production, international trade and quarantine services are estimated in the billions of dollars.
Fruit fly expert Professor Dick Drew (pictured) from the University’s International Centre for the Management of Pest Fruit Flies (ICMPFF) says while other small-scale traps do exist, the holy grail of an environmentally-conscious, commercially-effective female fruit fly trap has proved elusive.
Griffith University has signed an exclusive license agreement with crop protection product developer and distributor AgNova Pty Ltd that will enable translation of the University’s world-leading fruit fly research into the first commercially-scalable and environmentally-friendly attractant and trap for female pest fruit flies.
Built on more than 30 years of experience, the lure and trap offers the potential for a brighter future for Australia’s $4.8 billion horticulture industry.
“It’s estimated government and industry combined spend more than $500 million annually to manage the problem,” Prof Drew said.
Prof Dick Drew’s ICMPFF team at Griffith University is the only fruit fly research group worldwide with a knowledge of the species, their geographic distributions and host plant records, based on more than 30 years experience in fruit fly field biology.