Elicitors of plant defenses as a standalone tactic failed to provide sufficient protection to fruits against spotted-wing drosophila

Amanda Quadrel; Pablo Urbaneja-Bernat; Robert Holdcraft; Cesar Rodriguez-Saona

doi:10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342

Elicitors of plant defenses as a standalone tactic failed to provide sufficient protection to fruits against spotted-wing drosophila

Amanda Quadrel
, Pablo Urbaneja-Bernat
, Robert Holdcraft
, Cesar Rodriguez-Saona

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a globally important invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits including raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Current control measures for this pest primarily rely on calendar-based insecticide sprays; therefore, more sustainable methods are desirable. Adults of D. suzukii use cues derived from fruits and symbiotic microbes to identify optimal sites for feeding, mating, and oviposition. We hypothesized that modifying any of these cues could influence D. suzukii adult behavior, making them less likely to select suitable fruits. One approach involves applying synthetic elicitors of the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) plant defense pathways, which are associated with defenses against pathogens and herbivores, respectively, or the use of crop sterilants, employed for microbial control, to reduce D. suzukii attraction, oviposition, and larval performance in fruits. Here, the preference and performance of D. suzukii was investigated in blueberry fruits treated exogenously with four commercial elicitors of plant defenses – three that primarily activate SA-related defenses (Actigard, LifeGard, and Regalia) and one activator of JA-related defenses (Blush) – and the crop sterilant OxiDate. A series of choice and no-choice experiments were conducted in laboratory, semi-field, and field settings that were performed at various time intervals to assess the residual effects of each treatment. Our results showed no consistent repellent, oviposition deterrent, or larval toxicity activity for any of the products tested. As a result, our findings do not provide sufficient support to recommend the use of these elicitors or the crop sterilant as viable standalone options for D. suzukii management.

Original language	American English
Article number	1381342
Journal	Frontiers in Agronomy
Volume	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342
State	Published - 2024
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Agronomy and Crop Science
Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Soil Science
Plant Science

Keywords

Drosophila suzukii
crop sterilant
highbush blueberry
invasive
pest management

Access to Document

10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342

Cite this

@article{0320cd31cf6a49d3b40e707f88a69718,

title = "Elicitors of plant defenses as a standalone tactic failed to provide sufficient protection to fruits against spotted-wing drosophila",

abstract = "Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a globally important invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits including raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Current control measures for this pest primarily rely on calendar-based insecticide sprays; therefore, more sustainable methods are desirable. Adults of D. suzukii use cues derived from fruits and symbiotic microbes to identify optimal sites for feeding, mating, and oviposition. We hypothesized that modifying any of these cues could influence D. suzukii adult behavior, making them less likely to select suitable fruits. One approach involves applying synthetic elicitors of the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) plant defense pathways, which are associated with defenses against pathogens and herbivores, respectively, or the use of crop sterilants, employed for microbial control, to reduce D. suzukii attraction, oviposition, and larval performance in fruits. Here, the preference and performance of D. suzukii was investigated in blueberry fruits treated exogenously with four commercial elicitors of plant defenses – three that primarily activate SA-related defenses (Actigard, LifeGard, and Regalia) and one activator of JA-related defenses (Blush) – and the crop sterilant OxiDate. A series of choice and no-choice experiments were conducted in laboratory, semi-field, and field settings that were performed at various time intervals to assess the residual effects of each treatment. Our results showed no consistent repellent, oviposition deterrent, or larval toxicity activity for any of the products tested. As a result, our findings do not provide sufficient support to recommend the use of these elicitors or the crop sterilant as viable standalone options for D. suzukii management.",

keywords = "Drosophila suzukii, crop sterilant, highbush blueberry, invasive, pest management",

author = "Amanda Quadrel and Pablo Urbaneja-Bernat and Robert Holdcraft and Cesar Rodriguez-Saona",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2024 Quadrel, Urbaneja-Bernat, Holdcraft and Rodriguez-Saona.",

year = "2024",

doi = "10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342",

language = "American English",

volume = "6",

journal = "Frontiers in Agronomy",

issn = "2673-3218",

publisher = "Frontiers Media SA",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Elicitors of plant defenses as a standalone tactic failed to provide sufficient protection to fruits against spotted-wing drosophila

AU - Quadrel, Amanda

AU - Urbaneja-Bernat, Pablo

AU - Holdcraft, Robert

AU - Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a globally important invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits including raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Current control measures for this pest primarily rely on calendar-based insecticide sprays; therefore, more sustainable methods are desirable. Adults of D. suzukii use cues derived from fruits and symbiotic microbes to identify optimal sites for feeding, mating, and oviposition. We hypothesized that modifying any of these cues could influence D. suzukii adult behavior, making them less likely to select suitable fruits. One approach involves applying synthetic elicitors of the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) plant defense pathways, which are associated with defenses against pathogens and herbivores, respectively, or the use of crop sterilants, employed for microbial control, to reduce D. suzukii attraction, oviposition, and larval performance in fruits. Here, the preference and performance of D. suzukii was investigated in blueberry fruits treated exogenously with four commercial elicitors of plant defenses – three that primarily activate SA-related defenses (Actigard, LifeGard, and Regalia) and one activator of JA-related defenses (Blush) – and the crop sterilant OxiDate. A series of choice and no-choice experiments were conducted in laboratory, semi-field, and field settings that were performed at various time intervals to assess the residual effects of each treatment. Our results showed no consistent repellent, oviposition deterrent, or larval toxicity activity for any of the products tested. As a result, our findings do not provide sufficient support to recommend the use of these elicitors or the crop sterilant as viable standalone options for D. suzukii management.

AB - Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a globally important invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits including raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Current control measures for this pest primarily rely on calendar-based insecticide sprays; therefore, more sustainable methods are desirable. Adults of D. suzukii use cues derived from fruits and symbiotic microbes to identify optimal sites for feeding, mating, and oviposition. We hypothesized that modifying any of these cues could influence D. suzukii adult behavior, making them less likely to select suitable fruits. One approach involves applying synthetic elicitors of the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) plant defense pathways, which are associated with defenses against pathogens and herbivores, respectively, or the use of crop sterilants, employed for microbial control, to reduce D. suzukii attraction, oviposition, and larval performance in fruits. Here, the preference and performance of D. suzukii was investigated in blueberry fruits treated exogenously with four commercial elicitors of plant defenses – three that primarily activate SA-related defenses (Actigard, LifeGard, and Regalia) and one activator of JA-related defenses (Blush) – and the crop sterilant OxiDate. A series of choice and no-choice experiments were conducted in laboratory, semi-field, and field settings that were performed at various time intervals to assess the residual effects of each treatment. Our results showed no consistent repellent, oviposition deterrent, or larval toxicity activity for any of the products tested. As a result, our findings do not provide sufficient support to recommend the use of these elicitors or the crop sterilant as viable standalone options for D. suzukii management.

KW - Drosophila suzukii

KW - crop sterilant

KW - highbush blueberry

KW - invasive

KW - pest management

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85192981037

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85192981037#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342

DO - 10.3389/fagro.2024.1381342

M3 - Article

SN - 2673-3218

VL - 6

JO - Frontiers in Agronomy

JF - Frontiers in Agronomy

M1 - 1381342

ER -

Elicitors of plant defenses as a standalone tactic failed to provide sufficient protection to fruits against spotted-wing drosophila

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this