Efficacy, Selectivity, and Detection of Spotted Wing Drosophila in Raspberry and Cherry Orchards with Volatile Organic Compounds Derived from Apple in the US and Europe

Authors: Larson, Nicholas; Strickland, Jaime; SHIELDS, VONNIE - Towson University; BIONDI, ANTONIO - University Of Catania; ZAPPALÀ, LUCIA - University Of Catania; CAVALLARO, CARMELO - University Of Catania; COLAZZA, STEFANO - University Of Palermo Italy; ESCUDERO-COLOMAR, ADRIANA - University Of Girona; BRIEM, FELIX - Julius Kuhn Institute; VOGT, HEIDRUN - Julius Kuhn Institute; DESOUHANT, EMMANUEL - University Of Lyon; DEBIAS, FRANÇOIS - University Of Lyon; GIBERT, PATRICIA - University Of Lyon; Zhang, Aijun

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2021
Publication Date: 3/25/2021
Citation: Larson, N.R., Strickland, J.A., Shields, V., Biondi, A., Zappalà, L., Cavallaro, C., Colazza, S., Escudero-Colomar, A., Briem, F., Vogt, H., Desouhant, E., Debias, F., Gibert, P., Zhang, A. 2021. Efficacy, Selectivity, and Detection of Spotted Wing Drosophila in Raspberry and Cherry Orchards with Volatile Organic Compounds Derived from Apple in the US and Europe. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85884-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85884-1

Interpretive Summary: A fruit fly, called spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a significant invasive insect pest that causes huge economic losses for thin-skinned fruit growers in the United States and many European countries. Significant efforts have been made for development of reliable and sustainable control and monitoring tools for this pest. In our previous study, five volatile organic compounds have been identified from apple juices and attractiveness of a trapping system has been evaluated and confirmed in blueberry fields in the United States. In this study, the efficacy, selectivity, and detection of this trapping system were evaluated in raspberry and cherry orchards across five countries: United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The landscape differences among the various locations will provide much complete pictures on how well this trapping system performs in different habitats. Our results provided direct evidence that a reliable SWD detection and monitoring tool has been successfully developed. It can be adopted by growers/farmers in different countries to efficiently detect this pest in thin-skinned fruit orchards and implement timely interventions before a serious infestation occurring.

Technical Abstract: Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) causes significant economic loss in fruit crops to growers worldwide. There is an immediate need for efficacious and selective monitoring tools that can detect infestations early. Previously, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) derived from apple were studied and a quinary chemical component blend (QB) was identified as the key SWD attractant in a blueberry orchard in the United States. This study's aim was to determine whether previously observed QB blend efficacy, selectivity, and early detection levels could be attained within raspberry and cherry fields in the US and Europe. Results demonstrated that sticky trap baited QB blend provided early SWD detection than that of standard apple cider vinegar (ACV) trap. SWD capture/trap by QB blend baited trapping systems was significantly lower than that of the ACV traps, however, percent SWD/trap of QB baited traps was regularly equal to that of the ACV traps within cherry. This amount of lower non-target capture will save farmers/growers's labor and time. Within the US, selectivity of QB baited liquid traps was consistently greater than sticky trap in raspberry field, suggesting that the QB blend can be an alternative to the standard ACV lure and that further trap design could improve selectivity further.