The Australia Research Council (ARC) has announced A$3.7m (US$2.9m) in funding for Macquarie University’s Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation, led by associate professor Phil Taylor.
The focus of the Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation will be on developing methods for horticulture to manage fruit fly in Australia, including new ways of targeting pests as well as offering training for scientists.
“For generations, Australia has relied on insecticides to protect crops. But concerns for consumer health and environmental damage have meant the most effective insecticides have recently been banned for many crops, leaving no equivalent replacements,” Taylor said. “The overarching aim of the centre is to provide Australian horticulture industries with new tools for environmentally and medically benign control of fruit fly pests.”
The grant has been awarded as part of the ARC’s Industrial Transformation Research Program, with A$40m in funding for nine new ARC research hubs and training centres.
The Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation will operate for five years, in partnership with Queensland University of Technology, University of Western Sydney, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, CSIRO, New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, Ecogrow Environment and NSW Department of Trade & Investment.
