The National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (Senasa) reported this Wednesday the detection of a fruit fly outbreak in the urban area of the city of Cinco Saltos, province of Río Negro. In this sense, the alarms were triggered by the presence in a region considered “free of the plague” of adult specimens of the Mediterranean fly (Keratitis capitata Wied.).
The plague registered in Río Negro is considered by the authorities as “one of the most economically important for fruit and vegetable production” of the country. The reason behind this rating is the damage it produces to the fruit, which causes associated economic losses.
An invasion of small black bugs put CABA on alert: what they are and how to combat them
Added to this, another cause for concern was the fact that the outbreak occurred in the productive valleys of the Patagonian region, which are recognized as Fruit Fly Free Area. In this sense, the national director of Plant Protection of Senasa, Diego Quiroga, clarified that, despite the appearance of the insect, “free area status is not lost that Patagonia has in this case, recognized by countries like the US, China and Chile”.
Regarding the emergence of the outbreak, as explained by the director, the appearance of this species is due to “to the impact of the climate” in the region. Likewise, he indicated that this phenomenon “does not only occur in Argentina, but also occurs in other fruit-producing countries.”
In this line, from Senasa they remarked that in Patagonia there was never a presence of fruit fly in farms or productive properties due to the differences in temperatures that are recorded in the area during the day and at night. In this regard, the last specimens were found in a trap located in the center of the city of Cinco Saltos, and it is unknown where they come from specifically.
Senasa’s measures to prevent the spread of the plague
From the outbreak of Mediterranean flies, Senasa started a phytosanitary emergency plan. As indicated by the agency, the measures seek to prevent the spread of the insect, as well as offer the sanitary guarantees required by the markets to which the regional fruit production is exported.
In this sense, one of the actions to control the outbreak was the establishment of a regulated area of a circle with a radius of 7.2 kilometers from the site where the plague was detected. In this regard, Quiroga explained that this “is the way to monitor so that there are no more detections, seeking that the plague does not spread further from this quarantine zone, giving security to the countries to which we export”.
Added to this, surveillance actions were intensifiedthrough the installation of trapping devices and the sampling of fruits, the collection and destruction of the host fruits of the pest, the removal of the soil under the projection of the tree crown, the immobilization of the fruit from the regulated area , the performance of phytosanitary treatments if necessary, and the application of protection and traceability measures for the mobilization of host fruits.
After the drought the “7 de oro”: alert in the field for an insect that causes animal mortality
Likewise, Senasa indicated that the export of fruits originating from the affected area will be prohibited to markets with restrictions without the corresponding quarantine treatment. In this line, they will oblige the transports that enter, exit and transit through the regulated area to cover their loads completely with canvas or mesh of 80% density. According to what they stated, the measures will continue “until the eradication of the outbreak is verified and it is considered finished.”
However, the agency clarified that host plant products entered packing or refrigerating establishments up to and including March 20 will not be affected by these regulations. “Now we must work hard with the provinces of the Patagonian region and with the producers to eradicate the outbreak as we have done on other occasions,” Quiroga said.
MB / ED
You may also like
