Corteva—Naturalure® is the first choice for Drosophila control in Australia

Corteva recently reported that its Naturalure® is now the first choice for Drosophila control in fruit trees and grape crops across Australia.

Chris Brown, customer technology specialist at Corteva, expressed that Naturalure® is a comprehensive complex inducer that includes a humectant, an attractant and Spinosad, the active ingredient of Qalcova active. Naturalure® is easy to use and efficient, and is widely used in Australia. The product is also certified organic and can be used in organic production. The product remains active even in hot conditions.

When Naturalure® is applied, it should be sprayed in a band or series of points under the crop, with only water added and no other additives required. The most common way to use the product on citrus, pome, stone fruit or grapes is to use 1 litre of Naturalure® plus 6.5 litres of water per hectare. In addition, heavy rain or irrigation can wash the agent off the leaves, so weather conditions should be considered when applying. When Naturalure® is used in rotation, the vineyard or orchard is protected and only needs to be applied once a week. The use of the product at the border also provides additional protection.

Fruit flies are now found throughout Australia and need to be controlled every planting season. Ignoring fruit flies can lead to unsalable fruit. Naturalure® is an excellent choice for fruit fly control and offers many advantages over other products, including the number of applications. While some products need to be applied every three days, Naturalure® only needs to be applied every seven to ten days in rotation with other products. Corteva recommends applying it every other row of crops, and seven to 10 days later, the next row, and the product will continue to work in the area where it was previously applied.

Naturalure® is very attractive to fruit flies, and when female flies are looking for a source of protein, they are attracted to the bait on the leaves, and the product works quickly when they prey on the bait. The product also attracts male fruit flies. Queensland fruit flies and Mediterranean fruit flies were quickly attracted to the attractor.

Naturalure® has been used in Australia for over a decade and was originally developed by Dow Agricultural Sciences with help from the US Department of Agriculture. Naturalure® has become a benchmark product in Australia due to its ease of use, and organic certification has contributed to the product's popularity in cities, with businesses like Biosecurity SA fully promoting Naturalure® in South Australia. The product is also available as part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for a variety of approved crops including various trees, grapes and vegetable crops.