Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research
Project Number: 2040-22430-027-017-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2019
End Date: Dec 31, 2023
Objective:
To investigate the optimal application density of Male Attraction Technique (MAT) against the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis.
Approach:
Field experiments will consist of a Mark-Release-Recapture (MRR) study employing sterile oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) reared on Hawaii Island by USDA-ARS, sterilized by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Oahu Island and held to emergence by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in Los Alamitos, California.
MAT grids at three target densities of STATICTM Spinosad ME (50, 110 and 230 spots/km2) will be set up within each of three adjoining 0.5 x 0.5 mi (approx 0.65 km2) areas. Application will occur following standard CDFA SOP for each area, with only the number of spots varying between them. Treatments will be randomly assigned to areas. The three application densities will have 30, 70, and 150 spots respectively, for a total of 250 spots overall. A subset of the spots (30 per grid) will consist of delta traps with a standard STATICTM Spinosad ME spot applied to plywood hanging inside, called “monitoring spots”. These will be used to assess the number of released male B. dorsalis coming to each bait station.
Five thousand sterile, marked, male, sexually mature B. dorsalis will be released from the back of a pickup truck using a modified leaf blower as the vehicle moves slowly (approx. 5-10 mph) through the central area of each experimental block on public roads. Different colors will be used for each of the grids.
One and three days after each release the sticky panels in the 90 delta traps will be removed and checked for marked flies.
