Australian Stonefruit Grower Magazine Issue 2 August 2016 | Page 17
Research
SPLAT goes the fly
The aptly named SPLAT (Specialised
Pheromone and Lure Application
Technology) is designed to make
application quicker and easier. Male
attractant and insecticide are applied
in a flowable, waxy matrix. This matrix
Spinosad is considered
to pose less risk to
mammals, birds and fish
than organophosphate
insecticides, making it more
environmentally
sustainable
The results indicated that
spinosad is slower acting on Qfly
than malathion, and is more likely to
lose efficacy over time. However, the
combination of SPLAT + spinosad
attracted and killed more flies than the
wick system, although not as many as
controls release of the volatiles and
the caneite block.
protects them from environmental degradation.
“The results show that SPLAT + cue-lure +
SPLAT is applied in small dollops using a caulking
spinosad is a promising alternative system for management
gun, modified sprayer or even by a robot or an airplane.
of Qfly under Australian conditions”, according to Dr Crisp,
Application is quicker so more can be applied. This means
and “it could also prove useful for other fruit fly species,
~25 MAT units c an be replaced with a couple of hundred
including the invasive melon fly”.
globs of SPLAT per hectare of orchard.
The potential downside of this is that more insecticide is
being placed in the environment. To overcome this, some
However, MAT remains just one part of an overall
strategy.
“Male annihilation can be combined very effectively
practitioners have proposed using spinosad as the toxicant.
with other management strategies, such as protein bait
Spinosad is considered to pose less risk to mammals, birds
sprays, field hygiene, and biological controls,” Dr Crisp
and fish than organophosphate insecticides, making it
said.
more environmentally sustainable when applied around
the orchard.
Research in Florida and Hawaii has found that SPLAT,
“Combinations of these techniques have successfully
defeated Qfly outbreaks in SA, WA and parts of the old fruit
fly exclusion zone. SPLAT has the advantage of reducing
combined with spinosad insecticide and the appropriate
labour costs, as well as allowing the use of a less toxic, more
male attractant (methyl eugenol or cue-lure), can
environmentally sustainable insecticide than malathion in
successfully attract and kill male Oriental and melon flies.
baiting programs.”
Australian SPLATs
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project has been funded by
Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd using multiple industry
levies and funds from the Australian Government (MT12001).
New research from Peter Crisp (SARDI) and Olivia
Reynolds (NSW DPI) has tested whether SPLAT can also
work for Queensland fruit fly (Qfly). Initial trials were
conducted using large, mesh cages containing adult male
Qflies. A mixture of SPLAT + cue-lure + spinosad was
compared to cue-lure + maldison (malathion), with both
lure types weathered outside for up to eight weeks before
testing.
The formulations were then taken out into the orchard.
In this case, traps baited with SPLAT + cue-lure + spinosad
were compared to traps baited with a caneite block or wick,
both loaded with cue-lure + malathion. The traps were
distributed in a mixed fruit orchard (pome and stone fruit)
in southwest Sydney. Traps were checked weekly, with the
trial repeated six times.
summerfruit.com.au
Male flies are more likely to be attracted by many
small dollops of SPLAT CL + cue-lure + insecticide
around an orchard than to fewer, though larger,
MAT bait stations. Photo: ISCA Technologies
august 2016 | Australian Stonefruit Grower
17