The SIT control programme against Medfly on Madeira Island.
Dantas L., Pereira R., Silva N., Rodrigues A., Costa R.
Author Affiliation: Programa Madeira-Med, Estrada Eng. Abel Vieira, 262, 9135-260 Camacha, Madeira, Portugal.
: 127-130
Abstract : On Madeira, the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) (Medfly), causes more than Euro 2.5 million in losses each year and is the single most important factor limiting expansion of fruit production. In 1996 the government of Madeira supported by the European Union (EU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) initiated a sterile insect technique (SIT) programme to control the pest. An important consideration is that SIT, being an ecologically compatible technique, does not cause conflicts with the economically important tourist industry of Madeira. Current production from the Madeira-Med Medfly factory averages 40 million fruit flies per week, with weekly releases of sterile males averaging 30 million per week. A genetic sexing strain is used so that few female Medflies are released. The Madeira Medfly programme was one of the first to use SIT for fruit fly control as opposed to eradication. The objective of this programme is to reduce Medfly fruit infestation levels to below 2% in 10 specified edible fruit species. In this paper we present results from 1997 to 2001, with emphasis on the north coast of Madeira and Porto Santo Islands.