Russell IPM launches Ceranock to control the Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly

Ceranock from Russell IPM has been successfully demonstrated as an effective tool against Bactrocera minax, the Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly. The system, which has shown excellent control of Ceratitis capitata in previous trials, was recently tested with great success against B. minax in Nepal.

In collaboration with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Russell IPM found that application of Ceranock was able to reduce fruit damage by B. minax to 5 % in mandarin. The system, which is biorational and environmentally-sensitive, does not require pesticide spraying and leaves fresh produce residue-free.

The Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly has recently emerged as a major threat in citrus fruits of Asia. The biology and ecology of the pest differs greatly from similar fruit flies, which has rendered many management options developed for other species ineffective. Therefore, this economic and effective tool could help both small and large scale farmers take control of this pest.

Russell IPM announced the launch of their biorational Ceranock system as a potential solution to this growing problem following the recent success of their Nepalese trials.

During the trial the Ceranock attract and kill systems were placed within a number of mandarin and sweet orange orchards. Each bait station contained a protein attractant for the female fruit fly and a low dose toxicant which incapacitates the fly upon contact. Trapped insects were counted in McPhail monitoring devices at weekly intervals and the percentage of infested fruits were counted before harvesting.

The trials revealed that application of Ceranock achieved a highly successful level of control which led to an 82% reduction in damage of sweet orange. Additionally, 95% of mandarin fruits were protected following application of the bait stations when compared to non-treated plots.

Malik A Hamid, Coordinator for Russell IPM’s Asia Division said: ‘We are pleased to see a positive outcome from the trials and strongly recommended Ceranock as an efficient management practice for citrus crops and a reliable technology for the control of B. minax fruit fly in commercial orchards.”

Following the success of the Nepalese trials, Russell IPM has been worked to raise awareness of Ceranock for local farmers and industries. Farmers and Agronomists were invited to training days and workshops and the product was presented at the National Organic Agriculture Exhibition at Biratnagar, Morang district. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Nepal has planned to launch a national project to facilitate citrus export in 2016/ 2017 utilising Russell IPM’s Ceranock attract and kill system to control the Chinese Citrus Fruit Fly.

If you would like to know more about Ceranock, please contact info@russellipm.com or call +44 1244 281 333.