Enhancing control of the soft- and stone-fruit pest Drosophila suzukii (Spotted Wing Drosophila) by exploiting its activity patterns in the field (Studentship)

The project will be a novel and exciting new collaboration between the University of Southampton and East Malling Research. The student will gain skills in crop husbandry, chronophysiology, ecology, pest management, and data analyses and interpretation.

D. suzukii is a currently a seriously damaging pest of soft- and stone- fruit crops. In 2014 fruit picking in some crops had to cease as the pest became too abundant in the fruits. To achieve more efficient management of this newly invasive pest it will be useful to predict the daily and seasonal fluctuations in behaviour to target strategies for more effective control. The proposed project will test daily patterns of activity, feeding and egg laying under spring, mid-summer and autumn conditions simulated in the laboratory. Further laboratory experiments will identify the contribution of light, temperature, humidity and internal timekeeping mechanisms to these observed rhythms. Parallel field trapping experiments will verify D. suzukii behaviour patterns in vulnerable crops and in wild areas where D. suzukii is known to overwinter. Once these parameters are understood the student will examine the vulnerability of the various stages to pesticide applications and how pesticides interact with field temperatures and D. suzukii behaviour, throughout the day, in their efficacy. Finally, grower recommendations regarding the likely activity and control of D. suzukii based on time of year, time of day, and weather conditions will be made.