H2020 FF-IPM Project: In-silico-driven IPM, pest prevention, and off-season IPM against new and emerging fruit flies (FF-IPM 'off-season')

Smart Strategies to Protect Crops from Fruit Flies Smart new approaches to forecasting, intercepting, and identifying invasive fruit fly species could help protect Europe's multi-billion-dollar fruit industry. Fruit flies (Tephritidae) are a major economic concern for farmers worldwide, attacking food crops and costing millions in lost sales. While some fruit fly species are native to Europe, invasive species pose a significant new threat. "This is partly due to human mobility and intensified trade," explains FF-IPM project coordinator Nikolaos Papadopoulos of the University of Thessaly in Greece. "People bring fruit to Europe that is often infested. All the fly needs to do is drill a small hole to deposit its eggs."

The aim of the FF-IPM project was to raise awareness of these threats and take action to prevent the introduction of two new species: the peach fruit fly (Bactrocera zonata) and the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis). The project also sought to develop new management approaches for a species already established in parts of southern Europe: the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, native to sub-Saharan Africa). Smart approaches to pest management The FF-IPM project began by generating new biological data on the three target species. The aim was to better understand the behavior of these flies, as well as their ability to withstand lower temperatures and longer winters.

This information was used to develop models that predict the likely spread of invasive species. "The next step was to develop interception tools," says Papadopoulos. "We wanted to identify infestations early. One very successful approach was the development of a multi-entry electronic identification key." Instead of using one characteristic at a time to identify a species, several characteristics can be used simultaneously electronically. Molecular identification tools were also developed to speed up this process. Thus, instead of waiting days for results, inspections can be conducted in a matter of hours.

Smart fly traps were also developed, along with algorithms to automatically identify and count captured invasive species. These can be used at ports of entry or on farms. “A real-time rapid alert system sends results as soon as a fly is captured and identified,” Papadopoulos explains. Commercialization of Bioclimatic Modeling Platforms The success of the project has led to the creation of a company to commercialize the bioclimatic modeling platform. This platform offers dynamic maps that predict opportunities for targeted invasive species. “We also successfully developed models to predict the expansion of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Europe,” Papadopoulos adds. “Another novel system we developed generates suitable pest management scenarios for farmers, with cost estimates.”

This system was tested on farms in Greece, Italy, and Spain, with impressive results. Other tools have been developed, such as an electronic “nose” to intercept infested fruit in commercial shipments, but further research and collaboration with stakeholders are required. Smarter pest management for Europe Papadopoulos believes that FF-IPM has been a timely project, helping to raise awareness and bringing advanced tools to market that will protect European farmers. “This is crucial not only for domestic crops, but also for exports,” he notes. “If a shipment arrives from Europe and is found to be infested, it often needs to be destroyed at the exporter’s expense. This is a serious economic problem.”

By preventing invasions of new fruit fly species, the project hopes to contribute to maintaining the productivity and sustainability of European fruit industries. A better understanding of the movement and behavior of fly populations will also lead to smarter long-term pest management.