Abstract
Drosophila suzukii is an invasive fruit pest and represents a potential economic threat to viticulture. After first observations of D. suzukii in Europe in 2008, research mainly focused on the evaluation of the host range and infestation risk for fruit and berry crops. However, the risk assessment of D. suzukii in viticulture has only recently started. Understanding the factors influencing preferences of D. suzukii for host species and varieties as well as offspring performance is essential to improve management strategies. We investigated the field infestation of different grape varieties across Baden-Wuerttemberg, southwestern Germany, between 2015 and 2018. Moreover, we performed dual-choice assays in the laboratory to investigate whether adults show preferences for certain varieties and whether offspring performance differs between varieties. Furthermore, we studied the impact of grape damage on choice behavior. Field monitoring revealed that D. suzukii show preferences for red varieties, whereas almost no oviposition occurred in white varieties. The results of dual-choice assays confirmed that D. suzukii preference and performance are influenced by grape variety and that flies preferred damaged over intact “Pinot Noir”, “Pinot Blanc”, and “Müller-Thurgau” berries. Overall, these findings may have important implications for winegrowers regarding cultivated varieties, grape health, and insecticide reduction.
Highlights
About ten years ago the Asian fruit fly Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae; spotted wing drosophila) was accidentally introduced into Europe and North America and nowadays it is a well-established economic pest across both continents [1,2,3]
The results of dual-choice assays confirmed that D. suzukii preference and performance are influenced by grape variety and that flies preferred damaged over intact “Pinot Noir”, “Pinot Blanc”, and
We investigated whether grape damage may turn less accepted varieties more susceptible and whether such damage has an effect on both preferences of adult D. suzukii and the performance of their offspring
Summary
About ten years ago the Asian fruit fly Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae; spotted wing drosophila) was accidentally introduced into Europe and North America and nowadays it is a well-established economic pest across both continents [1,2,3]. Recent studies indicate that D. suzukii shows preferences for certain fruit species and varieties but not all preferred hosts are suitable for larval development and are, so-called dead-end hosts [4,5,10]. While previous research has mainly focused on the susceptibility of berry crops [11,12,13], little information is available on the infestation of grape berries, an only occasionally infested host [14,15,16], as well as on factors driving differences in susceptibility between host species and varieties [17,18,19]. More knowledge on the susceptibility of different grape varieties and factors influencing D. suzukii behavior is needed to contribute to the development of efficient and sustainable management strategies
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