Early detection of exotic fruit fly

1. biosecurity built on science
Next generation national fruit fly
diagnostics and handbook
Mark Schutze
Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology
Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre

2. biosecurity built on science
What is the problem?
 The fruit fly genus, Bactrocera, contains over 500 species
 Most are of no economic concern; some are among the most destructive
pests of horticulture

3. biosecurity built on science
What is the problem?
 The fruit fly genus, Bactrocera, contains over 500 species
 Most are of no economic concern; some are among the most destructive
pests of horticulture
 The exotic Oriental fruit fly (B. dorsalis) is arguably the most notorious
- think back to mid-90s ‘Papaya fruit fly outbreak’
 Systematic relationships and taxonomy of the group is a fertile area of
research
- especially for ‘species complexes’ where species ‘boundaries’ are unresolved; includes the
native ‘Queensland fruit fly’ complex

4. biosecurity built on science
What is the problem?
 The fruit fly genus, Bactrocera, contains over 500 species
 Most are of no economic concern; some are among the most destructive
pests of horticulture
 The exotic Oriental fruit fly (B. dorsalis) is arguably the most notorious
- think back to mid-90s ‘Papaya fruit fly outbreak’
 Systematic relationships and taxonomy of the group is a fertile area of
research
- especially for ‘species complexes’ where species ‘boundaries’ are unresolved; includes the
native ‘Queensland fruit fly’ complex
 Many are readily confused with each other (exotic v exotic; exotic v native),
based on morphology or existing molecular diagnostic resources
Need to know what they are, and how to diagnose them

5. biosecurity built on science
What are we doing about it?
 Tools:
- A suite of fruit-fly-specific, functionally relevant, species-level markers
for all National Fruit Fly Strategy high priority species in addition to key
exotic/Australian and pest/non-pest species;
 Novel genomic approaches to identify new molecular markers
- Integrating with ‘classical’ morphology
- Fully-revised national fruit fly diagnostics resource integrating new tailor-
made molecular and morphological information.

6. biosecurity built on science
What are we doing about it?
 Capacity:
- Fruit fly systematic training of the next generation of fruit fly integrative
taxonomists and extension workshops for front-line diagnosticians
 Knowledge:
- Of regional fruit flies, focusing on Bactrocera (most important regional
group)

7. biosecurity built on science
How will this research be delivered?
 Production of ‘Version 3’ of the Australian Handbook
for the Identification of Fruit Flies. Hard copy and
available online via PHA
- Including new diagnostic images
- Developed with national fruit fly diagnosticians

8. biosecurity built on science
How will this research be delivered?
 Delivery of ‘Diagnostics Workshops’ toward the end
of the project
- Follow up from workshop held at beginning of project
 Publication in peer-reviewed journals of revised
systematics of Bactrocera and new diagnostic
protocols/markers

9. biosecurity built on science
Who will benefit from this research?
 End-users:
- Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD)
- Subcommittee on Domestic Quarantine and Market Access (SDQMA)
- Qld DAF, NAQS, and NT DPI & Fisheries
- NSW Department of Primary Industries
- Vic DEDJTR
- Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA); Primary Industries
and Regions South Australia (PIRSA); Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water
and Environment, Tasmania
- Australian Chief Plant Protection Office, Department of Agriculture Office (DAG)
- DoA Biosecurity Australia
- Fruit fly research community
 Beneficiaries
- Range of horticultural industries at risk of exotic fruit fly invasion (e.g., stone-fruit
industry; tropical fruit industries)

10. biosecurity built on science
Benefit for our horticultural industries
 Build capacity in national fruit fly diagnostics
- More rapid and robust border detections
- Knowing of ‘what’s what’; especially pest from non-pest, and
native from exotic
 Improved regulatory response following fruit fly
detection or incursion; assist, maintain, and enhance
market-access across the horticultural industry
 Resolution of the most important domestic fruit fly
species-complex: the Queensland Fruit Fly complex.

11. biosecurity built on science
End-User Advocate’s Perspective
“Of the 69+ species that can be trapped in the Northern Australia Quarantine
Strategy Fruit Fly Program the majority are native, non pests but there are a
few lookalikes for the exotic targets (e.g., Bactrocera trivialis) we respond to.
Improved diagnostics will remove the grey areas and improve response
activities which provides a better outcome for industry. “

12. biosecurity built on science
End-User Advocate’s Perspective
“Of the 69+ species that can be trapped in the Northern Australia Quarantine
Strategy Fruit Fly Program the majority are native, non pests but there are a
few lookalikes for the exotic targets (e.g., Bactrocera trivialis) we respond to.
Improved diagnostics will remove the grey areas and improve response
activities which provides a better outcome for industry. “
“Improved molecular diagnostic tools for fruit fly will allow for species-level
identification of maggots collected from fruit in the field, greatly increasing the
ability to detect incursions of exotic target species. In particular, this will
facilitate detection of key exotic fruit fly target species which do not respond
to currently available lures, and cannot be trapped as adults. At the moment,
these species can only be detected by rearing adults from struck fruit, a time-
consuming and impractical approach in the field”
Sally Cowen and David Britton (NAQS)

13. biosecurity built on science
Future
We aim to greatly enhance the specificity and efficiency
of fruit fly diagnostics based on a solid systematic
framework. The future includes:
 Broadening taxon coverage to continue to ‘fill gaps’ in
target groups

14. biosecurity built on science
Future
We aim to greatly enhance the specificity and efficiency
of fruit fly diagnostics based on a solid systematic
framework. The future includes:
 Broadening taxon coverage to continue to ‘fill gaps’ in
target groups
 Resolving key concern species from the ‘difficult’
species complexes (e.g., Oriental fruit fly complex)

15. biosecurity built on science
Future
We aim to greatly enhance the specificity and efficiency
of fruit fly diagnostics based on a solid systematic
framework. The future includes:
 Broadening taxon coverage to continue to ‘fill gaps’ in
target groups
 Resolving key concern species from the ‘difficult’
species complexes (e.g., Oriental fruit fly complex)
 Appropriately communicating outcomes of the
research to domestic and international colleagues,
governments, and regulatory bodies

16. biosecurity built on science
Thank you
 For more information, please email
m.schutze@qut.edu.au
QUT: Stephen Cameron, Matthew Krosch, Jacinta
McMahon, Francesca Strutt
PHA: Nicholas Woods, Rod Turner, Melanie Bottrill
Q-DAF: Jane Royer
DAFWA: Bill Woods, Sonya Broughton, Ian Lacey
Collaboration with Karen Armstrong (N.Z. Lincoln Uni)
PBCRC is established and supported under
the Australian Government Cooperative
Research Centres Programme