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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355767
Title: Erythritol and two of its derivatives reduce survival and reproductive rate of a serious blueberry pest, Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Author
item Sampson, Blair
item Easson, Michael
item Werle, Christopher
item Stringer, Stephen
item Adamczyk, John

Submitted to: Blueberry Research Extension North American Workers Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2018
Publication Date: 8/12/2018
Citation: Sampson, B.J., Easson, M.W., Werle, C.T., Stringer, S.J., Adamczyk Jr, J.J. 2018. Erythritol and two of its derivatives reduce survival and reproductive rate of a serious blueberry pest, Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Blueberry Research Extension North American Workers Conference Proceedings. 112(1),pp.173-180.

Interpretive Summary: n/a

Technical Abstract: Effective control of D. suzukii during harvest requires weekly applications of low-residual, broad-spectrum insecticides unavailable for organic farming. A novel ingestible insecticide, a 4-carbon polyol, mesoerythritol (erythritol), was found to kill 75% to 100% of larval and aduld SWD. However, mesoerythritol, at effective concentrations (0.5-1.0M), may be cost-prohibitive. Therefore, we conducted lab tests to assess the effects of lower cost derivatives of erythritol, namely the pentaerythritol series of 1,3-diols on SWD pupal production, adult production, adult mortality, brood output, and reproductive increase. We then selected the two most promising compounds for a field test on fruiting rabbiteye blueberry. From 90% to 100% of adults died when fed food moistened with 1M solutions of mesoerythritol and pentaerythritol. Mesoerythritol and dipentaerythritol at a concentration of 1M were ovicidal/larvicidal, killing =85% of immatures. Overall, 1M mesoerythritol killed 80% or more larvae and adults, thus bringing populations to near zero. The heaviest compound of this series, tripentaerythritol, at all concentrations, was largely benign to SWD. Thus, we cannot recommend tripentaerythritol for SWD control. In a blueberry field, 0.5M mesoerythritol and 0.5M pentaerythritol, each by themselves or in combination (0.25M mesoerythritol and 0.25M pentaerythritol) reduced egg infestation of blueberry fruit by 64% - 82% and larval infestation by 93%.