What was it all about?

This project developed a data package concerning Queensland fruit fly to meet requirements for a new market access protocol for the export of capsicums to New Zealand.

Australian capsicums are hosts for Queensland fruit fly and so must undergo a disinfestation treatment before they can be exported to countries with quarantine barriers against this pest, including New Zealand. Since the loss of dimethoate in 2011, capsicums have been exported to New Zealand with a traditional high-dose methyl bromide fumigation treatment, though this treatment can cause produce quality issues. This project conducted research on the new low-dose methyl bromide technique, which uses about half the amount of methyl bromide but for double the treatment time. This has been shown to still be effective against fruit fly, but have less impact on the fruit.

The project team reported that the data package generated was sufficient for protocol development for the use of low-dose methyl bromide as a quarantine treatment against Queensland fruit fly, and was included as part of an export submission over which negotiations between Australian and New Zealand governments were continuing to progress at the time of writing.