Potential host fruits for Drosophila suzukii: olfactory and oviposition preferences and suitability for development

Abstract

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted wing drosophila, is a pest endemic to Southeast Asia that invaded the Americas and Europe in 2008. In contrast to most of its congeners, D. suzukii possesses a serrated ovipositor that allows it to lay eggs in unwounded commercial fruits, resulting in severe revenue losses for the industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of known host fruits, including cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and grape, and potential host fruits, such as banana and apple, to attack by D. suzukii. Based on the responses to volatile cues offered in a six‐choice olfactometer, the preference of female D. suzukii was ranked in the following order: strawberry = cherry > banana = apple = blueberry = grape, but in no‐choice and choice oviposition tests, the preferences were ranked as follows: cherry > strawberry = blueberry > grape = banana > apple. Furthermore, we reconfirmed that D. suzukii mainly targets rotten fruit for feeding and ripe fruit for oviposition, and females preferred fruits with intensive mechanical damage. Based on developmental parameters, apple was the least suitable host. This study has implications for the control of D. suzukii, especially in mixed fruit orchards, by providing a promising avenue for exploiting behaviour‐based control tools and emphasizing the importance of phenology in host fruit susceptibility.

Texture features explain the susceptibility of grapevine cultivars to Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) infestation in ripening and drying grapes

“…Grapevine can be a host plant for this pest [12][13][14][15] and damage has been found in European countries on different white and black grape cultivars 16,23,24 . On the other hand, studies conducted by Lee et al 13 , Bellamy et al 26 and Cai et al 38 found low attraction for grapes, suggesting that D. suzukii may prefer fruit with a thin skin. In addition, laboratory studies on grape berries reported low oviposition, slow developmental rates and limited survival to the adult stage 13,[17][18][19] .…”

Repellent, oviposition-deterrent, and insecticidal activity of the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum fioriniae on Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in highbush blueberries

“…Given that D. suzukii females prefer to oviposit on fruit with high sugar concentrations due to their nutritional benefit 7 , we expected female oviposition preference for anthracnose-infected fruits (hypothesis 1). However, D. suzukii also prefers ovipositing on ripe fruit in which sugar concentrations are typically lower than in rotten fruit 48 . It is, thus, likely that D. suzukii oviposition preference is not determined solely by the sugar content in fruits 49 .…”

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

“…Since its arrival to the continental United States in 2008, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) has disrupted Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs across major U.S. fruit-growing regions [ 9 ]. Although D. suzukii accepts a broad spectrum of hosts and ripeness, females often use their sawlike ovipositor to lay eggs into soft-skinned, ripening and ripe fruit including blueberries, caneberries, strawberries, and cherries [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Their short reproductive cycle and quick development allows populations to grow rapidly and makes management extremely difficult [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”