SCEPTREplus: Strawberry

Preventing spotted wing drosophila laying eggs

• Crops: Blueberry and blackberry, but relevant to soft fruit, stone fruit and grapes
• Target: Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii)
• Period: January - March 2018

Take home message

AHDB9931 and Urtica showed greatest potential to reduce the emergence of spotted wing drosophila (SWD).

Further testing is required on different crops to validate the results

Trial summary

The aim of the project was to test whether products can act as egg laying deterrents for SWD or reduce their emergence.

Seven different chemical treatments were tested in a laboratory.

A further study on the most promising treatments proved inconclusive.

• Crops: A range of crops (Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, apple, pear, blackcurrant, cucumber, celery, potato, tomato)
• Target: Capsid bugs
• Period: Sept 2018 – Jan 2019

Management of these pests currently relies on application of broad-spectrum insecticides. These can be effective at killing capsids, but also reduces numbers of the naturally-occurring and released natural enemies to control other pests.

This review aims to identify capsid control options that may form basis of further research including efficacy trials.

Conclusions

• Insecticides with more selective activity against sap-feeding pests, and lower impact on beneficial natural enemies (e.g. sulfoxaflor and flonicamid) have become preferred interventions for capsids in Australia and the USA
• Novel insecticides with alternative modes of action are available for testing against capsid pests
• Improved formulation of insecticides may be possible. This may be achieved by mixing with salt or enclosing them in attractant-coated microcapsules
• The entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum are available as commercial formulations and should also be considered as candidates for inclusion in efficacy testing.
• Particular weeds (e.g. nettles) are assumed to be linked with capsids and control of these is recommended
• More information is needed on the role played by natural enemies
• Semiochemical-based approaches (including push-pull strategies and pheromone based monitoring traps) have been developed for capsids as part of previous AHDB-funded work and have potential for further refinement