Location: Commodity Protection and Quality Research
Project Number: 2034-43000-043-028-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2020
End Date: Sep 30, 2024
Objective:
The objective of this project is to develop and implement efficient, economical, and environmentally responsible strategies to reduce the impact of Tephritid fruit flies on U.S. horticultural production. Research foci include: food lures, semiochemical lures, sterile insect technique, and systems approaches.
Approach:
Utilize a cooperative effort between USDA-ARS, USDA-APHIS, industry, and foreign counterparts. In general the approach involves the simultaneous development of food lures and semiochemical lures to improve trapping programs. Moreover, diet- and hormone-based improvements to the sterile insect technique will be explored. Finally, postharvest efforts will be developed and incorporated into systems approaches to enable the movement of infested fruit from quarantine locations. Findings will be presented in written research reports and industry guidelines and/or as requested and provide to industry, USDA-APHIS, USDA-TASC, and foreign counterparts.
