scholarly journals Cultural Control of Drosophila suzukii in Small Fruit—Current and Pending Tactics in the U.S.

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Torsten Schöneberg ◽  
Margaret T. Lewis ◽  
Hannah J. Burrack ◽  
Matthew Grieshop ◽  
Rufus Isaacs ◽  
...  

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a vinegar fly of Asian origin, has emerged as a devastating pest of small and stone fruits throughout the United States. Tolerance for larvae is extremely low in fresh market fruit, and management is primarily achieved through repeated applications of broad-spectrum insecticides. These applications are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable, and can limit markets due to insecticide residue restrictions, cause outbreaks of secondary pests, and select for insecticide resistance. Sustainable integrated pest management programs include cultural control tactics and various nonchemical approaches for reducing pest populations that may be useful for managing D. suzukii. This review describes the current state of knowledge and implementation for different cultural controls including preventative tactics such as crop selection and exclusion as well as strategies to reduce habitat favorability (pruning; mulching; irrigation), alter resource availability (harvest frequency; sanitation), and lower suitability of fruit postharvest (cooling; irradiation). Because climate, horticultural practices, crop, and market underlie the efficacy, feasibility, and affordability of cultural control tactics, the potential of these tactics for D. suzukii management is discussed across different production systems.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Troy Cloutier ◽  
Francis Andrew Drummond ◽  
Judith Collins

The recently introduced spotted wing drosophila is one of the most serious pests in small fruit production in the United States and Europe. Most control relies upon multiple applications of synthetic insecticides. In an effort to find less-toxic insecticides to consumers, farm workers, and wildlife, we conducted two laboratory trials and a semi-field trial in order to assess the potential for disodium octaborate tetrahydrateformulated and sold as Octabor®(U.S. Borax, Inc.) as a control for spotted wing drosophila in wild blueberry. We found that Octabor at 0.6 and 1.0% (w/v) applied to wild blueberry fruit resulted in higher mortality of flies than non-treated control fruit. Addition of sugar to Octabor enhanced mortality in one of the two trials, with an interaction between sugar addition and Octabor rate suggesting that the addition of sugar provided the greatest enhancement at the low rate. Our semi-field study showed that an apparent repellency effect of Octabor provided protection of fruit from infestation for up to 3 days. Also in the semi-field study, we observed a delayed effect on fly mortality. Increased fly mortality occurred over time, relative to the non-treated control fruit. The greatest fly mortality, relative to the non-treated control, resulted from flies being exposed to fruit treated 3 and 7 days prior to fly exposure, but not immediately after the treatment of Octabor. We speculate on why this type of delay in mortality might have occurred.    


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desire Djidonou ◽  
Zhifeng Gao ◽  
Xin Zhao

In addition to controlling soilborne diseases, grafting with selected rootstocks has the potential to enhance growth and yields in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production. However, information is rather limited regarding its economic viability in different production systems in the United States. The objective of this study was to compare the costs and returns of grafted vs. nongrafted fresh-market tomato production under common management practices in fumigated fields in northern Florida. The field trials were conducted in Live Oak, FL, during Spring 2010 and 2011. ‘Florida 47’ tomato was grafted onto two interspecific hybrid tomato rootstocks: ‘Beaufort’ and ‘Multifort’. Grafted and nongrafted ‘Florida 47’ plants were grown on fumigated raised beds with polyethylene mulch and drip irrigation using recommended commercial production practices for nutrient and pest management. The estimated costs of grafted and nongrafted transplants were $0.67 and $0.15 per plant, respectively, resulting in an additional cost of $3020.16 per acre for using grafted transplants as compared with nongrafted plants. Grafting also led to higher costs of harvesting and marketing tomato fruit as a result of yield improvement (1890 to 2166 25-lb cartons per acre for grafted plant vs. 1457 to 1526 25-lb cartons per acre for nongrafted plant). Partial budget analyses showed that using grafted transplants increased tomato production costs by $4488.03–$5189.76 per acre depending on the rootstock and growing season. However, compared with nongrafted tomato, the net farm return of grafted tomato production was increased by $253.32–$2458.24 per acre based on the tomato shipping point prices. Sensitivity analysis further demonstrated that grafting would be more profitable as the costs of grafted transplants decreased and the market tomato prices increased. These results indicated that although grafting increased the total cost of production, the increase in marketable fruit yield generated significant gross returns to offset costs associated with the use of grafted tomato transplants. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to provide more production budget and net return data about the economic feasibility of grafted tomato production based on a wide range of commercial growing conditions in Florida.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Ward ◽  
Powell Smith ◽  
Susan James ◽  
Zachary Stansell ◽  
Mark Farnham

Increased demand for fresh market crown-cut broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) has led to increased production along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Maximizing broccoli yields is a primary concern for quickly expanding eastern markets. Thus, a plant density study was carried out in Fall 2012 and 2013 using the hybrid cultivar Emerald Crown on a commercial farm in Summerton, SC, and in Fall 2013 using ‘Emerald Crown’ and another hybrid, ‘Durapak 19’, on a research farm in Charleston, SC. The objective was to determine the effect of variable within-row spacings of 4, 6, and 8 inches (using a system with double rows spaced 12-inches apart) on marketable yields and quality in the three environments. Our results indicated that increasing plant density by reducing within-row spacing to 4 inches significantly increased overall yield per hectare over the 6- and 8-inch spacing treatments at two of three environments. Stem diameter and average head weight were unaffected by plant density; however, heads harvested from plots with the highest plant densities had significantly (P < 0.01) lower bead uniformity in the Summerton 2012 trial, and significantly (P < 0.05) larger bead size in the two trials conducted in 2013. In general, the highest total marketable yields were from the 4-inch within-row spacing, but increased competition at the highest density may increase the risk of plants producing heads with lower quality characteristics. With the increased risk of producing lower quality marketable heads along with the increased production costs associated with the 4-inch spacing, yield and head quality attributes may be optimized at the 6-inch within-row spacing.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 548a-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Glenn ◽  
G. Puterka ◽  
T. Baugher ◽  
T. Unruh ◽  
S. Drake

Hydrophobic particle film technology (HPF) is a developing pest control system for tree fruit production systems. Studies were established in Chile, and Washington, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in the United States, to evaluate the effect of HPF technology on tree fruit yield and quality. Studies in Chile, Washington, and West Virginia demonstrated increased photosynthetic rate at the leaf level. Yield was increased in peaches (Chile) and apples (West Virginia), and fruit size was increased in apples (Washington and Pennsylvania). Increased red color in apple was demonstrated at all sites with reduced russetting and `Stayman' cracking in Pennsylvania. HPF technology appears to be an effective tool in reducing water and heat stress in tree fruit resulting in increased fruit quality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 1789-1797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T Kamiyama ◽  
Christelle Guédot

Abstract Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an invasive species of vinegar fly that infests soft-skinned and stone fruits. Since its first detection in the United States, D. suzukii has become a prominent economic threat in fruit crop industries, particularly affecting caneberry and sweet cherry growers. This study examined the susceptibility of tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) to D. suzukii and sampled for larvae and adult D. suzukii during the tart cherry growing season. Four tart cherry cultivars (Montmorency, Balaton, Carmine Jewel, and Kántorjánosi) were tested at three different ripeness stages (unripe, ripening, and ripe), in no-choice laboratory bio-assays. Field monitoring and sampling revealed that first adult D. suzukii detection occurred on 16 June, and first field larval D. suzukii detection occurred on 28 July. Adult D. suzukii populations increased through late August, and high numbers of adults overlapped with the tart cherry harvest. Lab assays indicated that tart cherry cultivars generally became more susceptible to D. suzukii as they ripened. As the fruit developed, °Brix (sugar content) increased and firmness generally decreased. Tart cherry °Brix and firmness were not correlated with the number of D. suzukii eggs per gram of fruit, but showed a significant interaction effect with the number of larvae and adults per gram of fruit. This study shows that tart cherries are largely not susceptible to D. suzukii when unripe and become susceptible as soon as the fruits change color, suggesting that fruits should be protected as soon as they begin to ripen and D. suzukii populations begin to rise.


2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 930 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Cummins ◽  
C. A. Morris ◽  
B. W. Kirkpatrick

Long-term selection programs in the United States and New Zealand have developed twinning herds. In Nebraska, the United States Meat Animal Research Centre population had a calving rate of 1.56 per parturition in 2004. They have shown that the location of ovulation has an important effect on the success of pregnancy and that ovulations ≥3 are probably undesirable. These cattle have issues associated with calving difficulty and calf survival, which present challenges for commercial application. Intensive management using existing technology and/or future genetic improvement to address these traits are required to realise the potential benefits to beef production systems.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian A. Wyenandt ◽  
Steven L. Rideout ◽  
Beth K. Gugino ◽  
Margaret T. McGrath ◽  
Kathryne L. Everts ◽  
...  

Foliar diseases and fruit rots occur routinely on tomato, an important crop grown throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States where it is produced for both fresh-market and processing. To enable these tomato growers to more effectively manage economically important diseases, a fungicide resistance management table has been developed which promotes the importance of understanding FRAC (Fungicide Resistance Action Committee) codes and provides an integrated pest management tool for tomato growers which will allow them to develop season-long disease control programs with an emphasis on fungicide resistance management. Accepted for publication 19 July 2010. Published 27 August 2010.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle M Lewald ◽  
Antoine Abrieux ◽  
Derek A Wilson ◽  
Yoosook Lee ◽  
William R Conner ◽  
...  

Drosophila suzukii, or spotted-wing drosophila, is now an established pest in many parts of the world, causing significant damage to numerous fruit crop industries. Native to East Asia, D. suzukii infestations started in the United States a decade ago, occupying a wide range of climates. To better understand invasion ecology of this pest, knowledge of past migration events, population structure, and genetic diversity is needed. To improve on previous studies examining genetic structure of D. suzukii, we sequenced whole genomes of 237 individual flies collected across the continental U.S., as well as several representative sites in Europe, Brazil, and Asia, to identify hundreds of thousands of genetic markers for analysis. We analyzed these markers to detect population structure, to reconstruct migration events, and to estimate genetic diversity and differentiation within and among the continents. We observed strong population structure between West and East Coast populations in the U.S., but no evidence of any population structure North to South, suggesting there is no broad-scale adaptations occurring in response to the large differences in regional weather conditions. We also find evidence of repeated migration events from Asia into North America have provided increased levels of genetic diversity, which does not appear to be the case for Brazil or Europe. This large genomic dataset will spur future research into genomic adaptations underlying D. suzukii pest activity and development of novel control methods for this agricultural pest.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay P. Kandul ◽  
Esther J. Belikoff ◽  
Junru Liu ◽  
Anna Buchman ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
...  

AbstractOriginally from Asia,Drosophila suzukii(Matsumura, 1931, Diptera:Drosophilidae) is presently a global pest of economically important soft-skinned fruits. Also commonly known as spotted wingDrosophila(SWD), it is largely controlled through repeated applications of broad-spectrum insecticides. There is a pressing need for a better understanding of SWD biology and for developing alternative environmentally-friendly methods of control. The RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease has revolutionized functional genomics and is an integral component of several recently developed genetic strategies for population control of insects. Here we have developed transgenic strains that encode three different terminators and four different promoters to express Cas9 in both the soma and/or germline of SWD. The Cas9 lines were evaluated through genetic crossing to transgenic lines that encode single guide RNAs targeting the conserved X-linkedyellowbody andwhiteeye genes. We find that several Cas9/gRNA lines display very high editing capacity. Going forward, these tools will be instrumental for evaluating gene function in SWD and may provide tools useful for the development of new genetic strategies for control of this invasive species.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document