Spotted Wing Drosophila Response Team helps Michigan growers manage the pest
posted on December 21, 2011 4:51pm
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Spotted Wing Drosophila Response Team helps Michigan growers manage the pest
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an exotic vinegar fly of East Asian origin, was first found in southwestern Michigan in late fall 2010. In the western United States, it has already infested numerous fruit crops and caused economic losses to growers.
Unlike the native vinegar fly that is more of an annoyance than a problem, SWD,
or Drosophila
suzukii, is able to lay eggs in
ripe fruit still on the plant, rather than in just overripe or rotting fruit.
Populations of SWD can build quickly because there can be multiple generations
per year and female flies (who live 20 to 30 days) can lay hundreds of eggs
during their life spans. Michigan growers are prepared for this new pest
because of the actions of the SWD Response Team, headed by Rufus Isaacs,
Michigan State University (MSU) small fruit entomologist.
“In the fall of 2009, I attended a workshop in Oregon presented by research and
Extension entomologists who talked about the pest, describing how bad it was
for them to deal with,” Isaacs said. “From their presentations, it was clear
that much of the eastern U.S. was at risk, and although Michigan’s cold winters
might limit the pest, our summer climate and its host range looked appropriate
enough to be concerned.”
Isaacs discussed what he’d learned about SWD with fellow MSU fruit
entomologists and Extension specialists, highlighting the need for immediate
attention. They decided to form the SWD Response Team, and get stakeholders –
including the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD),
MSU Extension, industry representatives and others – on board. This group got
together to decide how and where to monitor for SWD in 2010.
Twenty-eight counties were monitored for SWD in 2010, and none were found until
the third week in September, which was after fruit harvest. SWD continued to be
found in traps until late November.
“SWD was found in 13 of the counties monitored for the pest in 2010,” Isaacs
said. “It was a warm fall season, which accounted for the finds so late in the year
because SWD activity is predicated by the weather. But there was no economic
impact on fruit.”
Once SWD was found, the SWD Response Team put out the word through the newly
created SWD website (http://www.ipm.msu.edu/SWD.htm)
and informational materials for Michigan growers, as well as presenting SWD
information at grower meetings during the winter.
In 2011, the survey was widened, and, as of early December, SWD was found in
nine more Michigan counties. During the year, the team studied trap designs and
baits; examined the timing and activity of SWD activity; created an SWD
detection survey database; conducted chemical control studies; held SWD
workshops for growers, crop scouts, consultants and Extension personnel;
presented information at grower meetings; published information in grower
publications; and created Extension bulletins and a North Central Integrated
Pest Management (NC-IPM) Center pest alert.
Though this pest has great potential to create economic losses, being
forewarned means Michigan fruit growers are more prepared to deal with it.
“I’m optimistic,” said Isaacs. “Last year, we were facing a pest that we didn’t
know much about. This year, growers have been learning more about it, and now
know that it is another pest they will need to add to their IPM (integrated
pest management) program. There are pesticides that can be used to control it
in the short term, and we will be exploring alternative control tactics. We now
have a strategy to manage SWD that will improve as we learn more.
“The downside is that this pest is likely to make fruit farming more expensive
for some growers because of the increased costs of production,” he noted.
The SWD Response Team has been “a fantastic example of what can be achieved
when people come together to address a problem like this,” Isaacs added.
“Researchers from multiple campus labs are linked with the Extension programs
in the counties with tree fruit and small fruit growers. Increasing awareness and
explaining the solutions has been a really great aspect of this team.”
Isaacs said that Extension educators are actively monitoring for SWD in their
areas around the state. Work on SWD in Michigan has led to collaboration with
research colleagues in other eastern U.S. states toward the development of
strategies that can benefit the entire region, he noted.
“There is much we can learn from other regions, although we have some specific
challenges here that MSU scientists are addressing as part of the response
team,” he said.
For more information on SWD and Michigan’s SWD Response Team, go to http://www.ipm.msu.edu/SWD.htm. Project GREEEN, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant through MDARD, Michigan grower groups
and the United States Environmental Protection Agency provide funding for the
SWD Response Team and its activities.
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