Sterile Insect Technique as a proven weapon against international fruit flies. How realistic is SIT as a suppression tool for fruit fly in Australia?

Transcription

1 Sterile Insect Technique as a proven weapon against international fruit flies How realistic is SIT as a suppression tool for fruit fly in Australia? Andrew Jessup, Research Horticulturist, NSW DPI, Ourimbah Melbourne 28 August 2012

2 The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Mass-rearing Sterilisation Dispersal Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

3 Advantages of SIT : Friendly to the environment Species specific No risk of resistance Reduced use of insecticides Released insects cannot become established Aerial releases --> no problem with difficult areas (mountains, forests, civil unrest) Limitations of SIT : Prior suppression required Delayed effect (no kill-off) Immigration of gravid females Need for area-wide approaches Costs for setup, implementation, maintenance Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

4 Medfly Facilities World-Wide COUNTRY, Location Operating since MILLION FLIES PER WEEK GUATEMALA El Pino b MEXICO Metapa ARGENTINA Mendoza USA Hawaii (USDA) USA Hawaii (CDFA) 1970 s PERU La Molina 1970 s AUSTRALIA Perth 1980 s PORTUGAL Madeira CHILE Arica ARGENTINA San Juan 1980 s COSTA RICA San José 1970 s 5-10 S. AFRICA Stellenbosch AUSTRIA Seibersdorf 1970 s 2-4

5 Other Fruit Fly Facilities World-Wide COUNTRY, Location Species MILLION FLIES PER WEEK JAPAN Okinawa (now eradicated) B. cucurbitae MEXICO Metapa A. ludens AUSTRALIA Perth (now eradicated) B. tryoni USA Texas A. ludens THAILAND Patumthanee B. dorsalis USA Florida A. suspensa MEXICO Metapa A. obliqua PHILIPPINES Quezon City B. philippinensis 10-20

6 AW-IPM Control options lead to different potential markets Spray Bait SIT-Supp. SIT-Erad. Domestic Markets Nondiscriminating Low Pesticide Pest-Free Export Markets Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

7 AW-IPM with SIT - Strategies Eradication the application of phytosanitary measures to eliminate the pest from an area Suppression the application of phytosanitary measures in an infested area to reduce pest populations Containment the application of phytosanitary measures in and around an infested area to prevent the spread of a pest Prevention the application of phytosanitary measures in an around a pest free area to avoid the introduction of the pest Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

8 Melon Fly, Japan First discovered in 1919 Spread to all islands South Japan by 1970 s Suppression: male annihilation Factory: 200 m/wk 1993: eradication declared Benefit - Cost ratio: 5.4:1 Eradication Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

9 Suppression Mediterranean fruit fly Arava/Araba Valley, Israel/Jordan < 1998: no export to USA 1999: export USD 500,000 export USA (bell peppers, tomatoes) : > USD 50 million export to USA (Arava) 15 million sterile males/week Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

10 Containment Programa Moscamed : eradication in Chiapas (6,700 sq. km) Releases of sterile medfly border Guatemala/Mexico Production 2500 million sterile males/week (El Pino) Horticulture exports: USD 3500 million/year Benefit - Cost ratio: 150:1 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

11 Prevention Medfly Preventive Release Program (PRP) Los Angeles Basin, CA APPROACH: 1994 shift from a reactive to an area-wide preventive approach in high risk areas PRP - SIZE: established over 2,155 sq. miles expanded to 2,489 sq. miles SIT: Weekly release of 400 million sterile Medflies Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture Insect Pest Control Section

12 Medfly Preventive Release Program (PRP) Los Angeles Basin, CA (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) Medfly infestations/ year 0 Before PRP ( ) With PRP ( ) Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture Insect Pest Control Section

13 Medfly Preventive Release Program (PRP) Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, CA The lack of Medfly infestations within the PRP has confirmed its effectiveness: - maintained the Los Angeles Basin free of Medfly - eliminated aerial spraying/public outcry - eliminated the need for local quarantines - restored confidence of trading partners - approach copied by Florida BUDGET PRP: ca. $15 million/year compared to an average of $30 million/year before the PRP

14 Estimated Economic and Environmental Costs of Permanent Medfly Establishment in California Total California Costs/YEAR: $1,333 - $1,863 million Total Increased Pesticide Use/YEAR: million lb a. i CDFA Report to the CA Legislature, March 2000

15 Funding SIT

16 Public funding Taxes: Federal, State, regional Grower funding levies, contributions Aid programs Combinations

17 Public (regional) taxes: e.g. SIR Program in Canada (Codling moth) Funding is requisitioned through taxation to all urban and orchard property owners in the service area. Urban properties pay a land value tax (as of 2012 this was between $CAN6.00 and $CAN12.00 per year) and orchard properties pay a parcel tax levied against planted acreage of host trees (as of 2012 this was $CAN139.29/acre/year).

18 Combinations e.g. X-SIT, South Africa: The shareholding in this company is held by River-Bioscience (50%), the citrus industry s own in-house technology commercialisation company (a subsidiary of the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa) and Technology Innovation Agency (50%), a government funded initiative with the exclusive aim of commercialising South African bio-technology.

19 Private company: e.g. Bio-Fly, in Israel (of the Bio-Bee Group) was founded for the purpose of developing and supplying biological control solutions for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) and other pests, using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly, non-chemical pest control method. Bio-Fly's activities are an additional component of Bio- Bee s vision of advancing and implementing means and measures that are non-chemical in the control of key pests to modern agriculture.

20 Setting up an AWM-SIT program

21 Once the reason for the AWM-SIT program is decided and the baseline data of the target insect X target region interaction are known the logistical considerations must be addressed Benefit Cost Analyses Location of facilities Operational plans and implementation Evaluation, etc Much of this information can be obtained through published procedures

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25 GO TO SPREADSHEET MAI MENU GO TO MANUAL FAO/IAEA INTERACTIVE SPREADSHEET FOR DESIGNING AND OPERATING INSECT MASS REARING FACILITIES V.1.0 FOR MEDFLY "TSL" GENETIC SEXING STRAIN INTRODUCTION The FAO/IAEA Interactive Spreadsheet V.1.0 is to be used for the design and operation of insect mass rearing facilities for Medfly genetic sexing strains (GSS) based on the temperature sensitive lethal mutation (tsl). It can assist in technical and economic decision making processes associated with the design construction, costing and operation of mass rearing facilities. Ideally the Model should be used as a support tool by working groups aiming at assessing facility design, investment and possible economic returns from facilities of different sizes and production capacities. The working group should include an entomologist with experience in mass rearing management and mass rearing facility design, an architect, a civil engineer and an A/C expert.

26 SIT Success Stories Sourced from the FAO/IAEA website Search under Success stories

27 SOUTH AFRICA S.I.T. suppression programme Hex River valley Pilot Project: ha ; 99.9% C. capitata ; > 90% table grapes IAEA

28 The Hex valley environment o ± 140 growers o Many homesteads, labourer s cottages o Many wild hosts o Weak bait formulation IAEA

29 The Hex River valley environment Stellenbosch BW HV DW Airfield Three areas: Hex valley 5,000 ha De Wet 2,000 ha Brandwag 2,000 ha Cape Town

30 Table Grape Exports from Hex River Valley Annual Exports: 17,500,000 boxes Rejections by Inspectors: Pre 2000 with insecticides: ca. 50,000 boxes Post 2000 with SIT: 21,060 boxes = savings ca. $US150,000 pa Reduced Insecticide Use: Table grape growers save $US250,000 pa Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture Insect Pest Control Section

31 CLEANFRUIT Consortium The EASTMED project Nine year project Total effective area 40,000 Km 2 Estimated total cost $ 288 Mill. Estimated number of sterile males to release Billion (in 8 years). Weekly rate of release Mill. flies

32 CLEANFRUIT Consortium Cost of control by SIT in Israel Annual cost per Hectare = 75 $ Citrus - 18,000 Ha Other crops = 22,000 Ha Total area = ~ 50,000 Hectares Numbers of Males needed = 50,000 Hectares X 1,500 Males / Ha / wk = 75,000,000 Males / wk. Rate of recovery = 65% = 115 Million Pupa /wk. Real Area wide control = 3 to 4 times more Total Pupa needed = 345 to 460 Million Pupa /wk

33 Erad Erad-2003 Erad-2002 Erad-2001 Erad-2000 Erad-1999 Erad Fert/m/t/d Pre-Eradication - Steiner Arava Valley (Zone I), fertile males in Jackson traps Month 2011 eradication of Medfly from the Arava Valley achieved Erad Erad-2003 Erad-2002 Erad-2001 Erad-2000 Erad-1999 Erad Pre-Eradication - Steiner

34 2012: Small area eradication in Mexico The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishery and Food (SAGARPA) published in the Diario Oficial (Federal Register), on February 22, 2012, an agreement declaring some counties of the state of Nuevo Leon as areas free of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha (most importantly MexFly), effective February 23, SAGARPA published an announcement in the Diario Oficial, on February 22, 2012, declaring the counties of Dr. Arroyo, Mier and Noriega, and Villaldama from the State of Nuevo Leon as areas free of fruit flies of the genus Anastrepha of quarantine importance. The official regulations used for the establishment of the pest free zone are: NOM-075- FITO-1997 that establishes the phytosanitary requirements to move fruit hosts of fruit flies and NOM-023-FITO-1995 that establishes the National Campaign against Fruit Flies. MexFly is the most significant Anastrepha of quarantine importance in Mexico. This announcement affects 16 hectares planted with apples with an approximate production of 32 metric tons (MT) as well as 293 hectares planted to peaches with an approximate production of 197 MT. Mexico s self-designation of fruit fly freedom in this case does not imply the concurrence of regulatory agencies from other international trading partners.

35 APRIL 2007: In Nicaragua, the first exports of bell peppers to the United States were announced this month. The first load of bell peppers will be followed by many more with an estimated initial export volume of 31,000 metric tonnes per year, an amount generating substantial revenue and jobs in one of the world s poorest regions. In South Africa, the focus is on the Hex River Valley. Fruit fly populations there have dropped dramatically over the past four years, and so have costs of pest control. Before the project started, fruit fly control cost about R3.2 million, compared to about R1.2 million afterwards, a saving of about 67%. The progress toward that goal of fruit fly suppression is impressive. "In one season, the number of cartons rejected for export because of fruit fly damage has halved from 8% to 4%, the lowest it has ever been.

36 2012: Suppressing the melon fly in Mauritius The project was initially designed as a feasibility study only, but developed into a successful field pilot project. Environmentally friendly pest control technology was transferred and national capabilities in Mauritius were enhanced. As a result, a melon fly surveillance system and a fruit collection system for determining melon fly infestation were established. There was widespread participation of growers in the pilot area in the implementation of control techniques, and the counterpart institution was able to start transferring the project benefits to other vegetable growing areas in Mauritius. Cucurbit infestation, which was above 30% before project implementation, was reduced to 5% one year later. A decrease in the frequency of pesticide application was recorded, along with an increase in cucurbit production. The project has demonstrated the usefulness of an integrated approach to reduce insecticide use and to produce better quality fruits.

37 Using the sterile insect technique to improve produce for export in Latin America As a result of the project, participating countries are able to manage major pest insects more effectively. Lucrative export markets have opened up, resulting in investments of over US $2005 million in the production of fruit and vegetables. Currently, all exports of tomato and bell pepper from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua come from the fruit fly low prevalence areas established. In addition, Belize and Guatemala export papaya from the Mediterranean fruit fly free areas to the US market with no post-harvest treatment. These major accomplishments have already created over 6500 jobs and are expected to generate over jobs in the upcoming years in the packing, transport and related service industries.

38 2010: Promoting Pest-free Produce for Export in Guatemala The project enabled Guatemala to export tomatoes and peppers for the first time and generates over two million dollars per year for the country. Guatemala has become the most important Central American exporter of fresh tomatoes, peppers and papaya to its nearest major international market, the USA. Papaya exports have doubled and annual produce exports now amount to over four million dollars. While prices slumped over the past decade for Guatemala's traditional exports of coffee, banana and sugar cane, sales of tomatoes quadrupled to $10 million in 2010 from $2.5 million in 2007, with export income from bell peppers roughly tripling to $3.2 million in 2010, and papaya doubling, also to $3.2 million. These increases vaulted Guatemala into first place as the largest Central American supplier to its nearest major international market, the USA, and created hundreds of rural jobs, typically for men in field pest control and for women in the packing and transportation services industries.

39 January 2008: Tacna and Moquegua Regions in Southern Peru Declared Fruit Fly Free Areas The Animal and Plant Health Service (SENASA) of Peru, a decentralized public institution of the Ministry of Agriculture, has informed that Peru, after more than 20 years of dedicated efforts has achieved the eradication of very destructive horticultural fruit fly pests.

40 Several regions in Argentina now fruit fly free As a result of an SIT technical co-operation Model Project in Argentina on fruit fly eradication, major economic benefits were achieved in the Provinces of Rio Negro, Neuquen and Mendoza. Not only did insecticide applications decrease greatly in commercial fruit orchards, but the quantity and quality of temperate fruit production increased significantly since the start of the project, and several fruit producing valleys were declared fruit fly free. Most importantly, this work resulted in the neighbouring country of Chile, already recognized internationally as fruit fly free from a previous SIT project, allowing the fruit industries in Mendoza and Patagonia Provinces to use Chilean ports for their fruit exports. Fruit exports from Argentina already amount to approximately $0.5 billion annually, and this access to the export markets of Pacific Rim countries through Chile should bring further major economic benefits to Argentina s fruit industry.

41 In December 2005, US Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officially recognized Argentina s Patagonia region as a fruit fly free area. The achievement culminates ten years of IAEA and FAO technical backstopping to Argentina in terms of implementing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as part of an area-wide integrated pest management approach. The achievement allows Patagonia to export fresh fruits and vegetables to the USA without any quarantine treatments, a step that Argentina s Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASA) calculates to mean annual savings of US $2 million.

42 Success in Chile The IAEA supported eradication efforts from in a national programme initiated and funded in large part by Chile's fruit growers. Initially, sterile medflies were imported from Hawaii, Guatemala, and Mexico and released across Arica. Field results were so impressive that Chile decided to build its own plant. With contributions from an IAEA Technical Co-operation project, Chile built a factory for producing sterile medflies in the Arica near the border of Peru, which was inaugurated in August By December 1995, the medfly had been eradicated from Arica. Chile's US $ 50 million battle against the medfly is rapidly paying dividends. Fresh fruit is Chile's third largest export product. Its agricultural exports were worth US $ 1 billion annually in 1996; with the medfly eradicated, annual exports are predicted to increase by US $ 500 million by the end of the decade. Chile now exports fruits and horticultural products to 50 countries throughout the world, and has recently entered lucrative markets in Asia. It is among the few countries allowed to export fruit to China and Japan.

43 Other fruit fly successes The melon fruit fly (B. cucurbitae) is a major pest of cucurbit crops. Using the SIT in AW-IPM programmes, this pest was eradicated from all the islands of the Okinawa archipelago in Japan. The Queensland fruit fly, B. tryoni, was eradicated from Western Australia. In Thailand the Oriental fruit fly (B. dorsalis) and the guava fruit fly (B. correcta), and in Philippines (B. philippinensis) are being suppressed to reduce losses in mango.

44 A project that didn t work Jamaica New World Screwworm : > US$ 10 million little progress AW-IPM with SIT is not fail-proof Reasons for lack of success: o Lack of efficient management o Inefficient field implementation o Poor fly quality o Inconsistent operations

45 El Pino Medfly production facility, Guatemala

46 El Pino in numbers Number of pupae produced/week): 2.7 Billion = 21.6t of insects + 126L of eggs. Installation area: 10,000 m 2 Quantity of diet prepared daily: 36t Final use of spent larval diet: Feed Cattle, Alternate Fuel Water usage (daily): 90,000 US Gallons After its use water is recycled for fish production and Irrigation Number of irradiation sources: 5 Sources (2 Cesium 137, 3 Cobalt 60)

47 LESSONS LEARNED: MANAGEMENT From the management standpoint, a number of elements have been of major importace in reaching consistency, cost effectiveness and product quality: Decentralized Management Innovative decision making (risk taking, introduction of new technology, equipment design, implementation of ISO standards, etc). Employee empowerment Training Team work

48 LESSONS LEARNED: R&D Consistent levels of production can be reached and maintained if every factor in the process receives systematic scrutiny and if the required changes are introduced in a timely fashion. Research also needs to have a practical approach to problem solving.