Pear productions from the town of General Alvear, in the south of the Argentine province of Mendoza, already have the first spore hunting systems for the prevention of fungal diseases, like the ones caused by the Monilia and Botrytis fungi.
The device was installed by the Institute of Agricultural Health and Quality of Mendoza (Iscamen) with the objective of creating a provincial network of alert and prevention for the province's stone and pip fruit productive sector.
The deputy governor of Mendoza, Mario Abed, the president of Iscamen, Molero, authorities of the General Alvear municipality, and local producers attended the activation of the first device. Deputy Governor Abed said the implementation of these tools would substantially improve the quality of Mendoza products and their ability to enter the international markets.
This system is valued at $6,000 dollars and aims to monitor diseases in order to avoid commercial losses in the pear trees of southern Mendoza. The initiative was carried out thanks to a joint work agreement between producers and the Escartin fruit firm.
"This instrument allows determining the period in which the spores are in the environment. The particles suspended in the air are sucked through a vacuum pump and impact an adhesive trap," officials from Iscamen stated. These particles will be analyzed in the laboratories of Ugacoop each week, with the purpose of developing a statistical model that allows producers to be notified about the appropriate time for the development of preventive treatments.
The province of Mendoza, through Iscamen, has extensive experience in the diagnosis and issuance of phytosanitary alerts for the timely implementation of treatments against agricultural pests. Iscamen informs producers, via different communication channels, of the appropriate dates in which the treatments to control pests, such as carpocapsa or the grapevine moth, are more efficient.
