Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection
Project Number: 8080-21000-030-007-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2015
End Date: Aug 31, 2019
Objective:
The objective of this project is to develop and deliver sustainable management programs for spotted wing drosophila (SWD) that are not only NOP standards-compliant but also are true to the ethos of organic agriculture.
Approach:
Olfactory Attraction - We will evaluate currently available lures and baits, both individually and in combinations, in raspberry and at different times of the season to determine the best bait for trapping SWD as a function of the chemical and visual stimulus of an attracticidal sphere.
Effects of Field Exposure on Lethality and Longevity - In years one and two, we will evaluate the lethality and longevity of attracticidal spheres bearing the most promising materials and rates identified from laboratory trials. Five replicates of each candidate treatment will be evaluated immediately after formulation and then subsequently at three-week intervals following field exposure at three, six, and nine weeks.
Field Studies of Deployment Strategy - In years two and three, we will conduct field studies to assess protective capacity of attracticidal spheres with optimal toxicant formulation and attractive olfactory stimuli in a susceptible crop bearing ripening fruit in 0.25 ha plots. A minimum of four replicates of each treatment will be evaluated for a minimum of eight weeks. Ripe fruit (a minimum of 250 per week) will be randomly selected in each treatment plot and returned to the laboratory for assessments. Fruit will be isolated into cups for ~7 d and then evaluated for SWD infestation. Percent fruit injury and the number of SWD/fruit will be compared among treatments by ANOVA and means separated with Tukey’s test.
