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

Abstract

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.

Population genomics of Drosophila suzukii reveal longitudinal population structure and signals of migrations in and out of the continental United States

“…Otherwise, we see little evidence of migration events or admixture between the Eastern and Western United States, which is somewhat surprising as the country’s supply of fresh blueberries, cherries, and caneberries are concentrated in a few states (Pacific Northwest, Michigan, Maine) and shipped across the country (“ Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts 2019 Summary” 2020). However, recent changes to cultural management such as more frequent harvesting and post-harvest chilling may be responsible for disrupting the D. suzukii lifecycle and limiting cross-country transport ( Schöneberg et al 2021 ).…”

Live Drosophila melanogaster Larvae Deter Oviposition by Drosophila suzukii

“…Drosophila suzukii has a wide host range, high fecundity, and capacity to adapt to varying climatic conditions, all of which have contributed to the rapid global spread of this economically important pest [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Currently, the main methods of D. suzukii control are insecticide applications, fruit sanitary practices, and barriers of insect-exclusion mesh which are often labour intensive and high in cost [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The repeated use of a limited selection of chemical insecticides increases the risk of resistance developing [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Plastic mulches reduce adult and larval populations of Drosophila suzukii in fall-bearing raspberry

“…Other concerns about frequent insecticide use include negative health impacts on farm workers from pesticide exposure (McCauley et al 2006;Flocks 2012;Schwartz et al 2015), declining populations of beneficial insects (Roubos et al 2014), and potential secondary pest outbreaks (Sarkar et al 2020). Cultural practices can help manage D. suzukii, including cultivar selection, pruning or trellising, exclusion netting, harvesting fruit promptly, field sanitation, proper disposal of infested fruit, and post-harvest cold storage (Leach et al 2016(Leach et al , 2018Hooper and Grieshop 2020a, b;Schöneberg et al 2020Schöneberg et al , 2021. However, these methods are labor intensive and often must be used in tandem with chemical control (Leach et al 2016(Leach et al , 2018.…”