Location: Subtropical Horticulture Research
Project Number: 6038-22000-007-012-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 1, 2022
End Date: Jan 31, 2027
Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research agreement is to develop management strategies to detect, identify, and understand the pesticide resistance level of tephritid fruit flies that threaten US subtropical agriculture. Target pests include fruit flies that threaten to invade or have established in South Florida such as, but not limited to, Caribbean fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, and Mediterranean fruit fly that cause significant damage to fruit crops. There is no intention for travel by either side involved in the execution of the project. All data is to be open, shared and published (on the latter, published, as appropriate)- just need it to be very clear that both sides should be sharing all data.
Approach:
Components in insect resistance management (IRM) will be evaluated to develop approaches or strategies to manage the resistance of tephritid fruit flies and related pests of fruit crops that have established locally or pose significant invasive potential. Baseline susceptibility of tephritid fruit flies (lab colonies of Caribbean fruit fly and Oriental fruit fly) to conventional insecticides (organophosphate, carbamates, Spinosad, etc.) will be determined by lab bioassays and used to assess the resistance level of wild populations. Approaches to identify the resistance mechanisms at the physiological and molecular levels will be developed or improved when resistance to conventional pesticides has been found, either from the wild population or through lab resistance selection. Strategies including pesticide rotation (field trials), alternative environmentally friendly insecticides (plant essential oils), and biological controls will also be evaluated to improve methods or approaches to manage the resistance development of these pests.
