Corteva Australia - Fruit fly control easy and effective with Naturalure

Naturalure^® Fruit Fly Bait Concentrate, from Corteva Agriscience, has emerged as a leading option in the fight against fruit fly in orchards and vine crops throughout the country.

Corteva Customer Technology Specialist, Chris Brown, said the simplicity of application and product effectiveness had meant Naturalure was widely used in Australia.

"Naturalure fruit fly bait concentrate is a complete bait complex. It's made up of humectants, attractants and the toxicant Spinosad branded as Qalcova active.  All you need to do is add water.″

The most common use in citrus, pome, stone fruit, or grape vine crops is the dilution rate of one to 6.5, so one litre of Naturalure plus 6.5 litres of water applying 7.5 litres of water per hectare.

″This can be applied as a series of spots as described on the label or as a band spray.″

Fruit fly has become an endemic pest in all mainland states bar South Australia, and it is now rife through the country and requires treatment every season.

Some growers are now treating fruit fly 12 months of the year and not just in the seasonal window.

Mr Brown said growers that ignore fruit fly could end up with fruit that is unsaleable.

″The fly will lay eggs in the fruit which become maggots.″

Corteva's Chris Brown, said the simplicity of application & product effectiveness meant Naturalure was widely used for fruit fly control.

He said Naturalure was an excellent option to control the pest and had many advantages over other fruit fly products including timing and application.

″Some fruit fly options need to be checked every three days.  No one’s got time for that.  Naturalure can be applied every seven to ten days on a rotational basis.″

″What Corteva recommend is applying it to every second row, and then going back seven to 10 days later, and applying to the next row over because it could still be working in that area you treated before."

″Naturalure fruit fly bait concentrate is a fully formulated product. It contains humectants which keep the product active, even in warm conditions.  It is also organically certified so it can be used in organic production.″

″Naturalure is attractive to fruit flies.  The females are looking for a protein source.  They're attracted to the bait on the leaf and when they digest the bait, it works quite quickly.  It also attracts the males.

He said Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly are attracted to the bait source quickly.

″When you start on a rotation with Naturalure, you do have that peace of mind that you've got the vineyard or the orchard protected.  It then becomes a maintenance role of applying it once a week to maintain that level of protection through the vineyard or orchard.″

Heavy rainfall or irrigation can wash Naturalure off the leaves so this should be taken into consideration when looking at timing.

″Naturalure can also be applied as a boundary spray,″ Mr Brown said.  ″If you're bordering on urban areas or there's other vineyards or orchards, applying a boundary spray can also provide extra protection.″

The insecticide should be applied as a band or a series of spots on the lower sections of the crop.

Mr Brown emphasized the importance of applying the formulation with water only, without any other additives.

″Naturalure fruit fly bait is a complete complex.  Don't put a fungicide or an insecticide or anything else with it. It's fully loaded, and it's ready to go to control fruit fly.″

He said the product had been used in Australia for more than a decade now and was originally developed in the United States by Dow Agrosciences, with the help of the United States Department of Agriculture.

″In Australia, it has become a standard product because of that ease of use. Organic status means that it's very popular in urban areas, with businesses like Biosecurity SA using it for outbreaks throughout South Australia. It's become a soft product to use that works without reverting back to harsh chemistry.″

It can be used as part of an IPM program, and the expansive label includes a wide range of trees, vine and vegetable crops.

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