Fruit Fly Research and Development in PNG

Many cultivated and natural fruits play an important role both in food security and in meeting nutritional requirements in households throughout PNG. Fruit fly species of the family Tephritidae account for significant preharvest and postharvest food losses, and a reduction of these losses will improve food availability at household levels. The Papua New Guinea Fruit Fly Project (PNGFFP) has confirmed over 200 species of fruit fly. Species of economic importance are melon fly ( Bactrocera cucurbitae) , banana fruit fly ( B. musae ) mango fly ( B. frauenfeldi) , Asian papaya fruit fly ( B. papayae) , B. bryoniae , B. moluccensis , B. stringifinis , B. atrisetosa, B. decipiens, B. neohumeralis, B. trivialis and B. umbrosa . The destructive exotic species B. papayae was first sighted in the border provinces in 1992, has spread eastwards and is established on the mainland, the highlands and in Central Province. The host range, percentage losses and seasonal abundance have been determined for some of these important species. Fruit bagging and protein bait trails have achieved effective control, reducing damage from up to 98% to 0%. F RUIT fly species of the family Tephritidae are now recognised as the major pests of fruits and vegetables in tropical and subtropical areas, including PNG. They cause serious field losses and prevent PNG from exporting fruits and vegetables because of their quarantine importance. Their effect on agriculture is therefore far-reaching and warrants systematic research. Although fruit fly research has intensified in recent years, there are still enormous gaps in our knowledge of their taxonomy, faunistics and biology. Drew (1989) reported 180 fruit fly species in PNG, 12 of which were of economic importance. Dori et al. (1993) provided a status of fruit fly in PNG and confirmed 12 species of economic importance. Recent surveys suggest there are more fruit fly species in PNG than previously reported. Due to the agricultural and quarantine importance of fruit fly, the PNG Fruit Fly Project (funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Australian Agency for International Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the South Pacific Commission Regional Fruit Fly Project and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Fruit Fly Project) was initiated to address the fruit fly problem in PNG. A thorough understanding of fruit fly will enable the development of appropriate and effective control strategies to reduce field losses and the development of quarantine treatment regimes of fruits for export. Materials and Survey Methods