Drosophila Suzukii Development & Attraction
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Date
2016-06
Authors
McIntosh, Hanna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
In the effort to improve the efficacy and sustainability of organic food
production, approaches to combat crop pests without the use of pesticides are necessary.
The Drosophila suzukii pomace fly, known as spotted wing drosophila or SWD, is an
invasive pest that causes significant economic damage to important fruit crops. Creating
a sustainable integrated pest management program for SWD requires a specific
understanding of its development and survival as well as effective approaches for
managing quick-growing populations. Part 1 of this study focuses on degree-days
required for SWD development and the effects of extreme temperatures on SWD
infestation success and survival. Blueberries were infested with lab-reared wild flies to
examine the development time from egg to adult, which was found to be significantly
faster than previous lab studies under constant conditions. Maximum daily temperatures
negatively affected SWD infestation success and may negatively affect SWD survival.
Part 2 of this study examined the efficacy of SWD pheromones for short-range
attraction for use in mass trapping. Pheromone extracts were used in short-range flight
assays and contact assays to test their attractiveness to SWD. Pheromone extracts were
not attractive to SWD, so have been concluded to be ineffective as a lure for trapping.
These results provide important insights about SWD development and ecology, adding
to the collective knowledge of SWD biology to allow the development of a more
sustainable approach to controlling SWD in fruit crops worldwide.
Description
36 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Environmental Science and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Spring 2016.
Keywords
Biology, Insect development, Biological control, Fruit fly, Sustainable agriculture, Biology, Environmental science