WERA1021: Spotted Wing Drosophila Biology, Ecology, and Management
Statement of Issues and Justification
Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii, SWD), an economically significant pest of soft skinned fruit crops, has rapidly expanded its global range in the last 3 years (Lee et al. 2011). The biology, ecology, management, economic significance, and social impact of SWD differs significantly among regions, and coordination is necessary to ensure that research, extension, and outreach efforts are appropriate and regionally-relevant. In the United States, SWD has now been detected in California (2008), Oregon (2009), Washington (2009), Utah (2010), Montana (2011), Florida (2009), Louisiana (2010), Alabama (2011), Georgia (2011), South Carolina (2010), North Carolina (2010), Tennessee (2011), Virginia (2011), West Virginia (2011), Maryland (2011), Pennsylvania (2011), Michigan (2010), Wisconsin (2010), Massachusetts (2011), New Hampshire (2011), New York (2011), Ohio (2011), New Jersey (2011), Rhode Island (2011), Maine, (2011), Connecticut (2011) and Vermont (2011). Crop losses have been documented in some unmanaged crops, and larvae have been recorded feeding on numerous other commercial and non-commercial hosts (Walsh et al. 2011). Effective management of SWD has so far relied on repeated applications of broad-spectrum insecticide use. This is not environmentally sustainable or economical.Research funding (USDA-SCRI, USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant, US-EPA, grower funding, etc.) has been obtained to study SWD in several regions of the United States. The projects supported by these funds are examining biology, management, education, outreach, economic significance, genetics, and ecology ( Lee et al. 2011; Dalton et al. 2011; Bruck et al. 2011; Beers et al. 2011; Goodhue et al. 2011; Dreves 2011). The purpose of this Coordinating Committee is to create a venue for information exchange and minimize duplication of research, education, and extension efforts related to SWD. Furthermore, this collaboration will support the efforts of fruit growing stakeholders to produce a healthful crop in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion. Stakeholders will continue to be regularly engaged in assessing the value of the research, education, and extension programs.
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