The South African fruit industry spends over R300 million annually combating fruit flies, a pervasive pest threatening crop yields and export viability. University of Pretoria (UP) researcher Tania Pogue has unveiled critical insights into fruit fly behaviour, promising to transform pest monitoring and control strategies.
Pogue’s work focuses on the eco-physiology of fruit flies, exploring how factors like age, sex, and diet interact with environmental conditions to influence their attraction to commercial lures. Her research aims to refine trap capture accuracy and improve pest management, enabling cost-effective and sustainable practices for farmers.
Understanding Fruit Fly Behaviour: A Game-Changer
The study revealed a key discovery: fruit flies rarely respond to baited traps when temperatures fall below 12°C. “Traps placed in cooler conditions underestimate population size, leading to mistimed management and increased crop losses,” Pogue explains. This knowledge allows farmers to optimize monitoring, ensuring timely and effective control measures. This discovery is particularly valuable for farmers in regions where temperatures fluctuate significantly, as it provides a scientific basis to adjust monitoring schedules for maximum effectiveness.
Pogue’s academic journey in entomology began at UP, where her passion for studying insects took root. During her MSc in Entomology, completed with distinction in 2023, she investigated how biological and environmental factors impact pest responses to lures. Her findings were supported by controlled rearing experiments and field trials at UP’s Future Africa Institute, which measured how specific conditions affect fruit fly behaviour. Her approach not only advances scientific knowledge but also offers practical, data-driven solutions that farmers can implement immediately, bridging the gap between academic research and real-world application.
Economic and Environmental Impact
The implications of Pogue’s research are significant. By tailoring trapping strategies to temperature and biological factors, pest management can be made more precise, reducing unnecessary interventions and lowering costs. “This research enables a proactive approach to pest control, often allowing for more affordable and sustainable solutions,” Pogue notes. More importantly, these findings can help farmers reduce chemical use, promoting environmentally friendly practices while maintaining high-quality yields. As consumers increasingly value sustainable farming, such practices can also enhance the marketability of South African fruit in global markets.
Economic benefits are substantial. The Citrus Growers Association estimates that controlling fruit flies costs R386 million annually for citrus alone. Pogue’s work could reduce these expenses across various fruit sectors, ensuring better protection for farmers and improving export competitiveness. Beyond the cost savings, improving pest management also safeguards the livelihoods of farmers and workers who depend on consistent, high-quality fruit production. This has a ripple effect on local economies, particularly in rural areas where agriculture plays a central role.
As South Africa strengthens its position as a global fruit exporter, Pogue’s contributions advance both scientific understanding and practical solutions for pest control. Her work reinforces the industry’s ability to tackle challenges sustainably, safeguarding the future of fruit production. With continued investment in research and collaboration between academia and industry, South Africa can lead the way in innovative pest management strategies, setting a global standard for balancing productivity and sustainability.