Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit
Project Number: 2072-22000-044-002-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2018
End Date: Aug 31, 2022
Objective:
Biological control
a) Augmentative release of natural enemies
b) Conservation of natural enemies with cultural control
c) Microbial control
Approach:
a) Two resident parasitoid species will be mass-reared and released in non-crop habitats adjacent to caneberry or blueberry fields. Similar sites without releases will also be monitored. To assess parasitism, sentinel pupae will be placed in the non-crop habitats and adjacent crop fields. To assess infestation status, crop fruit will be collected weekly and reared out for Spotted wing drosophila (SWD). To assess pest population status, adult monitoring traps will be checked weekly.
b) Blueberry sites with and without mulching or pruning will be monitored. To assess predation and parasitism, sentinel pest pupae will be placed in fields. To describe the natural enemy community, pitfall traps and vacuum samples will be taken weekly.
c) Untested commercial products will be first screened in the laboratory. Next, SWD will be innoculated and exposed to normal flies, and potential transfer of pathogens will be determined between flies. If an efficacious product is found that can be cross-transferred, field trials will ensue. In non-crop habitats, bait stations with the pathogen will be set up along with control sites. To assess impact on SWD adult populations, monitoring traps will be checked weekly.
