Abstract
Drosophila suzukii is threatening soft fruit production worldwide due to the females’ ability to pierce through the intact skin of ripe fruits and lay eggs inside. Larval consumption and the associated microbial infection cause rapid fruit degradation, thus drastic yield and economic loss. Cultivars that limit the proliferation of flies may be ideal to counter this pest; however, they have not yet been developed or identified. To search for potential breeding material, we investigated the rate of adult D. suzukii emergence from individual fruits (fly emergence) of 107 accessions of Fragaria species that had been exposed to egg-laying D. suzukii females. We found significant variation in fly emergence across strawberries, which correlated with accession and fruit diameter, and to a lesser extent with the strawberry species background. We identified accessions with significantly reduced fly emergence, not explained by their fruit diameter. These accessions constitute valuable breeding material for strawberry cultivars that limit D. suzukii spread.
Highlights
The spotted wing fly, Drosophila suzukii, is one of the most serious pests in soft fruit production, attacking several fruits of agricultural importance such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, blackberries and cherries
Because soft fruits are the site of oviposition and larval development, we tested how well D. suzukii propagated in a total of 681 fruits representing 107 accessions of 12 Fragaria species
We tested 107 strawberry accessions and discovered significant variations in the emergence of D. suzukii between these accessions. This variation in fly emergence correlated with the accession and fruit diameter
Summary
The spotted wing fly, Drosophila suzukii, is one of the most serious pests in soft fruit production, attacking several fruits of agricultural importance such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, blackberries and cherries. A key feature of this species is the serrated ovipositor of D. suzukii females, which enables them to pierce ripening fruits and lay eggs inside the flesh (Atallah et al, 2014). Most closely related species deposit their eggs in decaying fruits. The infestation by D. suzukii typically leads to complete loss of the fruit. In addition to the larvae consuming the fruit flesh, the wound created by the fly’s ovipositor constitutes an entry point for bacteria and fungi that lead to fruit rotting and decay (Cini et al, 2012). 4 weeks under favorable conditions, this pest can produce 7–15 generations per cropping season if uncontrolled, resulting in an explosive population growth (Cini et al, 2012; Lin et al, 2014).
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