Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection
Project Number: 8080-21000-030-012-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2017
End Date: Sep 30, 2019
Objective:
The objective for this project is to evaluate the efficacy of attracticidal spheres against the invasive spotted wing drosophila (SWD) in raspberry and blueberry plantings.
Approach:
We will evaluate two key factors: 1) attracticidal sphere density and 2) deployment strategy to balance both performance and cost. The first treatment, the control, will consist of a small fruit plot managed using standard grower practices. Other treatments will include small fruit plots protected by attracticidal spheres deployed at a: 1) high density (one sphere/plant) and at the top of each plant to maximize visual apparency; 2) high density and in the lower 1/3 of the canopy of each plant to maximize interception of foraging flies (preliminary data indicate a preference for foraging in the lower parts of the plant); 3) low density (one sphere/three plants) and at the top of each plant; and 4) low density and in the lower 1/3 of the canopy of each plant.
