The Association of Producers of Blueberries from Argentina's Mesopotamia (Apama) presented its plan to control the fruit fly, an insect that is mainly present in the production between mid-October and late November, at the end of this region's harvest.
To meet the demands of the domestic and international markets, and to ensure there is a good harvest in 2016, Apama invested its money and, in coordination with SENASA and INTA, created a team of specialists that will investigate the behavior of the fruit fly throughout the year to determine the best strategies to combat this insect, which in recent years has migrated from citrus to blueberries.
For starters, the team will carry out a monitoring plan in 7 areas of the region, setting up traps to visualize the behavior of the pest in real time. The areas to be worked on are: Colonia Ayui, La Criolla, Estacion Yuqueri, Osvaldo Magnasco, Colonia Roca, Charruas, and Calabacilla. The samples will be evaluated with SENASA in the laboratory that the national body has in Chajari.
According to Gonzalo Carlazara, a specialist advisor from Apama, the goals of this new plan is to monitor 100% of the area devoted to blueberry production in the region so as to control any possible fly population there might be.
