Volatiles of wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium: possible attractants for the blueberry maggot fruit fly, Rhagoletis mendax

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fulgentius N. Lugemwa ◽  
Wilber Lwande ◽  
Michael D. Bentley ◽  
Michael J. Mendel ◽  
A. Randall Alford
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (5) ◽  
pp. 2380-2389
Author(s):  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Judith A Collins

Abstract Rhagoletis mendax Curran (the blueberry maggot fly) is a major pest of wild blueberry. It is a direct pest of the fruit. Females lay eggs in fruit resulting in infestations of larvae unacceptable to most consumers. Three field perimeter interception tactics were tested for control of R. mendax in wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton (Ericales: Ericaceae), between 2000 and 2010. We investigated field perimeter deployment of baited, insecticide-treated, green spheres (2000–2005), baited, yellow Trécé PHEROCON AM traps (2005 and 2006), and baited, Hopper Finder, sticky barrier tape (2008–2010). Only the Hopper Finder tape provided significant reduction in R. mendax adults and fruit infestation over the 3-yr field study. However, the reduction in fruit infestation compared with control plots was only 48.2 ± 7.3%, a level of reduction in damage that would be unsuitable for many commercial wild blueberry growers as a stand-alone tactic, but could be an important reduction as part of a multiple tactic IPM strategy. In addition, we constructed an agent-based computer simulation model to assess optimal trap placement between three patterns: 1) a single row of traps along field perimeter; 2) a double row of traps along the field perimeter at half the density of the single row; and 3) a grid of traps spread throughout the field but with the largest distance between traps. We found that the single row deployment pattern of traps was the best for reducing immigration of R. mendax adults into simulated fields.


2019 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 720-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Judith A Collins

Abstract Between 1998 and 2017, we conducted studies in wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton (Ericales: Ericaceae), to elucidate the temporal dynamics of the blueberry maggot fly, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, and its parasitoid, Biosteres melleus (Gahan). A predictive model for the emergence of R. mendax was validated at two sites over 3 yr. A second predictive model for the major parasitoid, B. melleus, of R. mendax was constructed and suggests that the delay in emergence of the parasitoid relative to its host provides a period or ‘biological window’ of 9 d where insecticide sprays can be applied to manage R. mendax with a limited impact on the parasitoid. A 20-yr study on the parasitoid/host dynamics showed parasitism rates ranging from 0.5 to 28.2%. It appears that R. mendax populations in Maine wild blueberry are characterized by stable equilibrium dynamics, significantly affected by stochastic processes. There was a weak, but significant relationship between B. melleus density and R. mendax intrinsic rates of growth. Our data suggest that R. mendax population dynamics in wild blueberry is characterized by an unstable equilibrium tipping point of 7.9 maggots per liter of blueberries or an average of 10 flies per trap.


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Del Bo' ◽  
A.S. Kristo ◽  
A.Z. Kalea ◽  
S. Ciappellano ◽  
P. Riso ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Jeliazkova and D. Percival

To evaluate the influence of water exclusion on the mycorrhizal coloni zations in wild blueberry, and to examine the spatial distribution of mycorrhizae among roots of wild blueberry plants that were in both the vegetative and cropping stages of production, a randomized complete block design was used. The mycorrhizal coloniz a tions were equally distributed throughout upper and lower soil profiles in both stages of production. Nevertheless, soil moisture levels in water exclusion treatments were as much as 50% lower than the control, drought stress had no effect on mycorrhizal colonization levels or on any other of the measured responses. Root weight and volume decreased as soil depth increased from 0-7.5 to 7.5-15 cm. Key words:


2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 1323-1336
Author(s):  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Judith A Collins ◽  
Sara L Bushmann

Abstract During dispersal into fruit-bearing wild blueberry fields, blueberry maggot flies were highly active during all daylight hours as revealed by trap captures, although in one trial afternoon activity was greater than morning activity. Flies were not captured in traps at night, although observations in growth chambers showed that their activity at night, measured as displacement of position, was equal to daylight conditions. Flies were shown to fly at low altitude, just above the crop canopy, and screen fencing was shown to be effective at reducing colonization of plots, presumably due to their low height during flight. Over a 4-yr mark–capture study, colonization rate was shown to be low at 9.7 m/d, although a separate 2010 study showed higher rates at 14.1 and 28.0 m/d. Movement was shown to be nondirectional or random in the field, but a constrained random walk exhibiting direction into the field. Weed cover and high fruit density were associated with higher fly relative abundance, suggesting these field characteristics served as attractors slowing colonization rate into a field. Transect trap studies showed the temporal and spatial pattern of fly colonization into commercial wild blueberry fields, one of a slow wave that penetrates into the field interior as the season progresses. There is also an increase in fly abundance within-field edges and adjacent forest. The ‘stacking’ of flies along a field edge and slow movement rate into a field was shown through simulation to be a result of nondirectional short-distance dispersal of flies.


2001 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.P.S. Kuenen ◽  
P.J. Silk

The bluebeny maggot, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, is a primary insect pest of low bush blueberries, Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. (Ericaceae), in eastern Canada. Eggs are laid in ripening berries and mature larvae emerge from the berries to pupate in the soil. Adult flies can be controlled with insecticides (Wood et al. 1983) and (or) cultural control by bum or flail-mow pruning of bushes. Pruned plants do not bear fruit the season after pruning, and this rotation of fruit and nonfruit years is believed to reduce fly populations by limiting food availability (Lathrop 1952). Adult flies can be monitored by capture on yellow-panel sticky traps or red-sphere traps (Prokopy and Coli 1978; Wood et al. 1983; Neilson et al. 1984). In this study, we focused on the sex ratio of R. mendax flies captured on baited and unbaited yellow-panel sticky traps (Pheroco® AM traps) and on the orientation behavior of flies toward wind-vane traps.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1623-1633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis A Drummond ◽  
Elissa Ballman ◽  
Judith A Collins

Abstract Over a period of 5 yr (2012–2016), we conducted laboratory and field studies on activity, movement, and response to trap placement of adult Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) in wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton, fields in Maine. When measuring temporal patterns in fruit infestation, we found that D. suzukii females are most active in the morning and that they are 10 times more likely to lay eggs in blueberries at the top of the plant canopy compared with berries located in the lower part of the bush. Flies were found to be more abundant in fruit-bearing (crop) fields compared with pruned (vegetative) fields based on trap capture of adults. They are also most abundant along edges of fields compared with interiors. Trap efficiency is significantly better in traps 1.2 m above the ground and above the crop canopy of this low-growing crop plant than within the crop canopy. Three experiments involving the marking of laboratory-reared flies with fluorescent marker, their release, and capture with traps along a grid in fields suggest that: 1) fluorescent markers do not affect the distance moved of marked flies, 2) dispersal rates are not different between sexes, 3) there is little difference in the dispersal pattern through pruned fields and fruit-bearing fields, and 4) flies disperse at a low rate of 0.1–30 m per day, with an average of 5 m per day, but that long-distance dispersal over 1–2 km is feasible based on statistical model extrapolation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1145-1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jatinder Kaur ◽  
David Percival ◽  
Lindsay J. Hainstock ◽  
Jean-Pierre Privé

Kaur, J., Percival, D., Hainstock, L. J. and Privé, J.-P. 2012. Seasonal growth dynamics and carbon allocation of the wild blueberry plant ( Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 1145–1154. Field studies were conducted at the Wild Blueberry Research Station, Debert, NS, to examine the carbon allocation dynamics within the wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.). This was achieved with biweekly measurements of dry weight, soluble sugar and starch levels of the rhizomes, roots, stems/leaves and berries of plants in the vegetative (i.e., sprout phase) and cropping phases of production. Non-structural carbohydrate levels were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Growth parameters included phenology, stem height, dry weights of the above-ground vegetation (stems and leaves), berries, rhizomes and roots. Interestingly, root growth was observed prior to upright shoot emergence and dry weight for rhizome remained higher compared with stems and leaves. The rhizomes acted as a carbohydrate source during stem and root growth. The developing berry crop appeared to be a strong sink for photo-assimilates, as berries were found to import sucrose and convert it to fructose and glucose during maturation, and HPLC studies further confirmed the increasing levels of fructose and glucose. Given the phenology of the wild blueberry, the results exemplify the importance of the rhizomes as a strong carbohydrate source, especially in the early stages of a growing season when the carbohydrate production is limited.


2003 ◽  
pp. 353-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Percival ◽  
A. Murray ◽  
D. Stevens

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