EVALUATING EDIBLE REPELLENTS IN A PUSH-PULL STRATEGY FOR MANAGEMENT OF DROSOPHILA SUZUKII IN VALUABLE FRUITS

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), spotted-wing drosophila, has recently become a common and serious pest of temperate fruit crops (small fruits, cherries and kaki) in many countries [1]. Crop damage is caused when adult females, using a serrated ovipositor, lay eggs in ripe and partially ripe fruit before harvest. Developing larvae cause soft and unmarketable fruit, moreover oviposition wounds provide access to pathogens that may enhance fruit deterioration leading to increased risk of secondary rot infections with an economic loss up to 80%. Push-pull strategies (stimulus deterrent diversionary strategies) attempt to reduce crop injury by modifying pest distribution using adversative stimuli to push the pest organism away from the crop while also using attractive stimuli to pull the pest organism out of the crop [2]. A novel and more sustainable method for repelling D. suzukii was evaluated by spraying edible repellents (alone and in mixture) on fruit surface during ripening period in combination with conventional natural attractive traps.