Ecological Pest Management for Spotted Wing Drosophila

Title: Ecological Pest management for Spotted Wing Drosophila

Principal Investigator: Dr. Juli Carrillo, Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia

Duration: April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023

Project Summary:

Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii, SWD) is a top priority for the BC berry industry because of its persistent negative impact on small fruit production. Additional management strategies for spotted wing drosophila must be sought in order to reduce economic losses to fruit growers, manage pesticide resistance for spotted wing drosophila and increase marketable berry production.  This project aims to combat SWD through a range of ecological management strategies:

1. Intercrops and plant essential oils: Interplanting with volatile producing companion crops or using volatile misters to disrupt the host finding behaviour of pests, similar to crop applications of botanical oils.
2. SWD chemical ecology for lure/trap development: Determining if incorporating leaf volatiles could increase SWD attraction to baited traps.
3. Biological control of SWD and microbial bio-pesticide/microbe-mediated crop resistance: Studying the two parasitoid species Leptopilina japonica and Ganaspis brasiliensis recently detected in British Columbia as well as the use of microbes to mediate plant resistance of pests.

Objectives:

This research project is developing multiple, independent but potentially synergistic strategies for spotted wing drosophila pest management:

1. Developing an intercropping system for berries and small fruits to reduce spotted wing drosophila presence in crops, through repelling the pest and attracting beneficial natural enemies.
2. Assessing the potential of two Asian parasitoids for biological control to provide long-term, self-sustaining control of SWD.
3. Evaluating microbial bio-products, insecticidal microbes, and plant essential oils for enhanced crop resistance.