Management of Tephritid Fruit Flies in Argentina

The Medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the South American Fruit Fly, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann), are the only economically important tephritid fruit fly species found in Argentina. Both species harshly affect production, marketing, and export of fruit and vegetable owing to their damage incidence and economic losses and their quarantine restrictions. The exotic species C. capitata is distributed throughout Argentina, while the native A. fraterculus is restricted to Northern Region. Since 1994 in Argentina, the National Agri-Food and Animal Health and Quality Service (SENASA) has implemented the National Fruit Fly Control and Eradication Program (PROCEM). The first fruit fly control strategy applied through PROCEM has been based on the integrated use of the sterile insect technique (SIT), cultural and air/ground chemical controls, and a quarantine system. Nowadays in the Patagonia and Cuyo regions, fruit fly area-wide integrated management led to the establishment of Medfly free areas and reduction of postharvest treatments. Augmentative biological control in central-western Argentina was currently added into biorational strategies of PROCEM-San Juan as a complementary tool in environmentally friendly way. This chapter reviews the current threat status of fruit fly pests in Argentina by reporting on the progress in their management and emphasizing control strategies that should be deepened.