Alarm for the fruit of Campania: the “oriental fruit fly” it was found in two areas of the southern region. This is the first report not only for Italy but also for Europe of this parasite which seriously damages fruit and vegetable crops. It is a species with a very fast reproductive cycle. It is highly polyphagous and can attack over 400 species of plants, both fruit-bearing and horticultural. The fruit trees strongly affected are apple, pear, peach, apricot, fig, plum. Among vegetables, however, there are fears for the tomato. Ripe fruit is usually preferred by the oriental fruit fly for laying eggs. However, sometimes, even the immature ones can be attacked.
The damage to the fruit is caused precisely by this activity, as well as by the development of the larva inside the fruit. The larva, developing until it emerges, it damages the fruit, which becomes useless, falls from the tree and often rots. Another particular characteristic of the oriental fruit fly, which has probably strengthened over time, is its remarkable resistance to chemical pesticides.
But the minister of agricultural policies, Gian Marco Centinaio, reassures the Campania producers: everything is monitored, everything under control, he says, responding to the concerns expressed in a question by Forza Italia deputy Paolo Russo. Precisely following the identification of the adults of the fruit fly, Campania also carried out surveys in the fields adjacent to the contaminated ones and "from the over 3.300 samplings both on plants and on the ground, the presence of symptoms or specimens of attributable a bactrocera dorsalis” (scientific name of the oriental fruit fly, ed). And in any case - the minister pointed out - in view of the high risk that this body represents, the national phytosanitary committee promptly set up a working group with experts and researchers. Not only that: a national surveillance plan was approved in February which includes an emergency plan in case of further finds. Plans which were then forwarded to the European Commission.
But how can the fruit fly have arrived in Italy, and in this case in Campania? Probably - according to the central phytosanitary office of Campania - following the entry of unregulated infested fruit from third countries or through fruit for personal consumption contained in the luggage of passengers from abroad.
