Hortgro has funded a new phytosanitary lab that is dedicated to the deciduous fruit industry in Mzansi. If all goes to plan, it will help local fruit growers to access new overseas markets and to maintain existing ones amid growing global competition.
As all countries maintain strict measures to ensure that imported food is healthy for consumption and free of pests and diseases, a research facility that specifically tests technologies on fruits, insects and pathogens could be a major boost to local farmers’ export readiness.
The new phytosanitary research laboratory, PHYLA, was approved and funded by the deciduous fruit industry organisation Hortgro and is based at the old Entomon building on the Welgevallen experimental farm of Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape.
It will be managed by entomologist Dr Renate Smit. Smit joined the Hortgro team in October 2021 as the phytosanitary facility manager and researcher. She tells Food For Mzansi all about this exciting new facility and what it will mean for the deciduous fruit industry.
Zolani Sinxo: Please tell us more about the lab and how it will help the industry.
Dr Renate Smit: Hortgro has funded the development of PHYLA, which will mainly focus on research for postharvest phytosanitary treatments.
The facility consists of four cold rooms, of which one is dedicated to or modified for fumigation research. All four rooms have controlled atmosphere capabilities, expanding the scope and use of each room. The facility also has an insectary at hand as well as the infrastructure to develop a fruit evaluation lab.
To ensure that the export industry is sustainable and that we can access new markets, we need postharvest phytosanitary treatments that are able to adhere to different market regulations. There is a global need for more environmentally friendly postharvest treatments to address the ever-evolving world of export.
PHYLA will allow us to develop and test protocols as per market requirements for the export of pome fruit in an integrated approach, whereby we can measure fruit quality and insect mortality simultaneously.
Why is a dedicated lab so important for the deciduous fruit industry?
The aim is to develop or examine old and new technologies to add to our limited phytosanitary treatment toolbox. Creating an in-house research facility focused on phytosanitary research, specifically for stone and pome fruit, is crucial to ensure market access and sustainability.
Knowledge generated at PHYLA will allow the industry to react quickly to issues that could potentially affect the market without being reliant on strained outside resources. The facility will enable us to test and develop cold sterilisation treatments locally, without time constraints and logistical issues.
Please take us on a virtual tour of the lab.
The facility has three sections to its operational structure, namely the cold rooms for trials, the insectary for insect colonies, and the fruit evaluation laboratory. The projects will have an integrated approach whereby we aim to kill the target insects while maintaining fruit quality. Our goal is to find a happy medium between the two.
We have four projects that will initiate this year and a fifth project that is in the planning phase.
We are upscaling the use of:
- ethyl formate from shipping container to cold room level;
- looking at the effect of ultra-low oxygen treatments;
- cold sterilisation regimes; and
- alternative modes of ethyl formate application.
We will have the ability to monitor and control the flow of both insects and fruit to ensure that the quality of both are of a high standard.
What did the testing landscape entail before and after the new lab?
Previously, only resources in Nelspruit (1 700 km away) could be used to test cold sterilisation treatment protocols for pome and stone fruit, which is far removed from the Western Cape. Resources at PHYLA will be used to their maximum capacity. It therefore does not exclude the use of outside resources completely.
Finally, tell us about you and your fit to this facility.
I have had amazing mentors who have shaped my career to where I am today. I worked at the department of horticulture for many years, managing their analytical laboratory.
I then started my MSc with Dr Shelley Johnson and Dr Mariana Jooste in 2015, working on developing alternative phytosanitary postharvest treatments. This study was upgraded to a PhD in 2017 and my career within the phytosanitary research field has not stopped evolving. My PhD showed me the value of using an integrated approach to this type of research and not being restricted to a specific discipline.
As the field of phytosanitary research is ever evolving, I hope the facility will evolve alongside it to provide answers and hopefully new technology to the fruit industry.
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