The Phenology of Infestations and the Impacts of Different Varieties of Cold Hardy Red Raspberries on <i>Drosophila suzukii</i>

Abstract

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (SWD), is emerging as the most significant pest of berries and stone fruits worldwide. With a broad host range, thin-skinned berries are particularly susceptible to infestation, and fruit producers are desperate for methods to control this pest. One of the keys to developing an integrated management program for SWD is to understand host preference and varietal susceptibility of highly susceptible crop hosts. Working in replicated small plots, experiments were conducted to evaluate differences in varietal susceptibility on cold hardy red primocane fruiting raspberries. Significant differences were observed in both the level of infestation and in the average number of larvae per berry by variety. In addition, it appears that there is a significant negative correlation between the level of infestation and the number of larvae per fruit with the time of sampling, but only an interaction of variety and time for the number of larvae per berry. These data provide a better understanding of the biology and ecology of this pest which is critical in refining current management practices. Knowledge of these interactions can aid in optimizing control strategies such as fine-tuning spatial and temporal control measures, which may be particularly important for early season infestations.

Effects of Variety and Grape Berry Condition of Vitis vinifera on Preference Behavior and Performance of Drosophila suzukii

“…Recent studies indicate that D. suzukii shows preferences for certain fruit species and varieties but not all preferred hosts are suitable for larval development and are, thus, so-called dead-end hosts [4,5,10]. While previous research has mainly focused on the susceptibility of berry crops [11][12][13], little information is available on the infestation of grape berries, an only occasionally infested host [14][15][16], as well as on factors driving differences in susceptibility between host species and varieties [17][18][19]. The prevailing uncertainty about the risk of damage by D. suzukii arising for wine production has resulted in management strategies mainly based on the prophylactic use of broad-spectrum insecticides.…”

Does monitoring pests pay off? a bioeconomic assessment of Drosophila suzukii controls

“…The most common D. suzukii management strategy is to increase pesticide application to reduce production loss. However, the increased pesticide cost, together with the significant yield losses, led to an estimated annual cost of over $500 million in major U.S. berry and cherry fruit production regions (including California, Oregon, and Washington) 3,6,7 . These states account for 76% of the total value of U.S. commercial production for berries and cherries 7…”

“…However, the increased pesticide cost, together with the significant yield losses, led to an estimated annual cost of over $500 million in major U.S. berry and cherry fruit production regions (including California, Oregon, and Washington). 3,6,7 These states account for 76% of the total value of U.S. commercial production for berries and cherries. 7 In the U.S., the crops susceptible to D. suzukii infestation include multiple berry crops and stone fruits.…”

Role of fruit characters and colour on host selection of boreal fruits and berries by Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

“…Changes in fruit profiles following damage due to injury or prior insect oviposition can alter attraction of D. suzukii (Yu et al 2013;Lasa et al 2017;Wang et al 2019). Fruit phenology has also been identified as a risk factor (Sward et al 2016;Little et al 2017;Elsensohn and Loeb 2018). However, as D. suzukii continues to expand its geographic range, predicting which fruits are at risk is of increasing importance.…”

“…Drosophila suzukii can assess relative risks and benefits of different fruit species and has demonstrated behavioural plasticity in host selection behaviour (Diepenbrock et al 2016;Sward et al 2016). This lack of host fidelity by D. suzukii may be key to its rapid near global expansion (Diepenbrock et al 2016).…”