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Funded Project

Funding Program: IPM Partnership Grants

Project Title: Spotted Wing Drosophila as an Emerging Critical Issue for Berry and Stone Fruit Crops in the Northeast

Project Directors (PDs):

Greg Loeb [1]

Arthur Agnello [1]

Juliet Carroll [1]

Lead State: NY

Lead Organization: Cornell University

Cooperating State(s): New Jersey

Undesignated Funding: $49,953

Start Date: Apr-01-2013

End Date: Aug-31-2014

Pests Involved: Drosophila suzkii

Area of Emphasis: pest management

Summary: The invasive species spotted wing drosophila (SWD) Drosophila suzukii has exploded onto the scene in all states in the Northeast Region, causing significant injury to fruit crops. The 2012 growing season proved to be worse than 2011, resulting in multimillion dollars of losses. Unlike many other fruit flies, SWD has the capacity to lay eggs into intact and marketable fruit. Berries, particularly fall raspberries and blueberries, are especially vulnerable. In addition, SWD has been reported from many other crops and wild plants. The short-term response to this new threat has been to dramatically increase the number of insecticide applications leading to increased production, environmental and human health costs. This is not sustainable and there is an urgent need for new, research-based IPM tools and increased education. The 2012 SWD Working Group meeting held in Geneva, NY in November successfully brought together stakeholder groups to develop over 70 research, regulatory, extension, and education priorities for the region. This IPM Issues proposal is in direct response to the working group findings. The principal objectives of the proposed IPM Issues grant, therefore, are to 1) Hold a regional conference to address critical issues for SWD in conjunction with the IPM SWD Working Group Meeting, 2) Investigate alternative lures and trap locations to achieve early detection of SWD in berry crops, and 3) Evaluate SWD risk for stone fruit crops.

Objectives: Objective 1. Hold a regional conference to address critical issues for SWD in conjunction with the IPM SWD Working Group Meeting

Objective 2. Investigate alternative lures and trap location to achieve early detection of SWD in berry crops

Objective 3. Evaluate SWD risk for stone fruit crops.

Final Report:

Outcomes
Outreach events
Objective 1. Fifty-four people attended the 2013 SWD Working Group meeting, from 13 states and four Canadian provinces, over half of which are extension educators or consultants who will serve as multipliers of the information presented during the working group meeting. (Number of people, 54, included in (iii) Training below.) The web site housed by NE IPM Center for the SWD working group meetings (http://www.northeastipm.org/working-groups/spotted-wing-drosophila/) has received 2,296 page views from November 2012 to October 28, 2014. In addition, a SWD info page we put together by staff at the NE IPM Center based on informational resources associated with the SWD working group meetings received an additional 1,654 page views during the same time period. (http://www.northeastipm.org/swd).

Objectives 2 and 3. Fifteen cherry growers were reached directly when their orchards were monitored for SWD damage and information on the results sent to them. In addition, the team generated the following publications, webinars, web site content, and presentations.

(i) Publications reached at least 185 people
Agnello, A., Jentsch, P., Loeb, G., Breth, D., Fargione, M., and Carroll, J. 2013. Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Tree Fruit and Grapes. http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/pdfs/swd-insecticides-grapes-treefruit-ny.pdf Distributed 47 at the Lake Ontario Summer Fruit School, also can be downloaded from the website.

Agnello, A.M., Gardner, R., Helms, M., Landers, A.J., Rosenberger, D.A., Cox, K., Carroll, J.E., Robinson, T.L., Breth, D.I., Stiles, W., Curtis, P.D., Cheng, L., and Hoying, S.A. 2013. 2013 Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Tree Fruit Production. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ithaca. 248 pp.

Carroll, J.E. 2013. Do my fruit have SWD? Cornell University blogs, Spotted Wing Drosophila. Posted Sept. 6, 2013, http://blogs.cornell.edu/swd1/2013/09/06/do-my-fruit-have-swd/. Distributed 58 print copies at the Lake Ontario Summer Fruit School, also can be downloaded from the website.

Carroll, J. and Peterson, K. 2014. Spotted Wing Drosophila, a new, destructive pest on berries, cherries, peaches and plums. NYS IPM Pub. No. 227, brochure. Accessed October 23, 2014. http://nysipm.cornell.edu/invasives_exotics/swd_bro.pdf. Distributed 76 copies at the Lake Ontario Summer Fruit School, also can be downloaded from the website.

Carroll, J. 2013. SWD Update, Scaffolds Fruit Newsletter. No. 18, July 22. http://www.scaffolds.entomology.cornell.edu/2013/SCAFFOLDS%207-22-13.pdf. Online Cornell Entomology publication distributed to 435 email subscribers.

Carroll, J. and F. Zaman. 2013. SWD Update, Scaffolds Fruit Newsletter. No. 19, July 29. http://www.scaffolds.entomology.cornell.edu/2013/SCAFFOLDS%207-29-13.pdf. Online Cornell Entomology publication distributed to 435 email subscribers.

Carroll, J. 2013. SWD Update, Scaffolds Fruit Newsletter. No. 20, Aug. 5. http://www.scaffolds.entomology.cornell.edu/2013/SCAFFOLDS%208-5-13.pdf. Online Cornell Entomology publication distributed to 435 email subscribers.

Carroll, J. 2013. SWD Update, Scaffolds Fruit Newsletter. No. 21, Aug. 12. http://www.scaffolds.entomology.cornell.edu/2013/SCAFFOLDS%208-12-13.pdf. Online Cornell Entomology publication distributed to 435 email subscribers.

Heidenreich, C. and Pritts, M. (editors). 2014. 2014 Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Berry Crops. Insect management sections authored by G. Loeb. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ithaca.

Loeb, G. and Hesler, S. 2014. Early detection and management of spotted wing drosophila in raspberry. The Bramble 29 (3): 8-9. Available online and distributed to members of North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association.

Loeb, G. 2013. Spotted wing drosophila in New York: Where we are and where we are heading. New York Berry News, January Issue, pp. 11-14. Online newsletter from Cornell.

Loeb, G. 2013. Spotted wing drosophila in NY: where we are and where we are heading. Proceedings of the 2013 Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo, Syracuse, NY. http://www.hort.cornell.edu/expo/proceedings/2013/Drosophila/Drosophila%20Loeb%20SWD%20in%20NY.pdf.

Loeb, G., C. Heidenreich, L. McDermott, P. Jentsch, D. Breth, and J. Carroll. Chemical control of SWD in berry crops. New York Berry News, May Issue, pp. 2-5.

(ii) Webinars
Loeb, G., Geneva, NY. 3 February 2014. SWD overwintering, early-season monitoring and use of wild host plants. 45 minute web x presentation hosted by Pam Fisher with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. There were approximately 20 researchers and extension educators participating, mainly from Canada.

Loeb, G., Geneva, NY. 15 January 2014. Overview of ongoing research investigating SWD biology and management. 1 hour webinar on invasive pests of small fruit and vegetable crops hosted by PSU and Cornell as part of a series of webinars on vegetables and small fruit crops. There were 38 participants (growers, extension educators, master gardeners) on the webinar. Go to https://meeting.psu.edu/p5xe3m3grk8/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal to hear full webinar.

(iii) Websites reached people 14,645 times
Carroll, J. 2013. Spotted Wing Drosophila, Cornell University blogs, blogs.cornell.edu/swd1/, accessed on October 19, 2014, 101 published blog posts, 145 subscribers, from December 2013 to September 2014 the site had 2,252 visits, 1,334 unique visitors, and 4,102 pageviews.

Carroll, J. 2013. Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) Monitoring Traps. Cornell Fruit Resources webpage, www.fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/pdfs/SWDTraps_CornellFruit.pdf, 4 pp.

Carroll, J., Heidenreich, C., Loeb, G. and Cramer, C. 2013. Spotted Wing Drosophila, Cornell Fruit Resources Website, www.fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/, 8 webpages.

(iv) Training reached 732 attendees

1. 5/1/2013, Spotted Wing Drosophila assisting dealing with an important invasive insect, Geneva, NY, NYS IPM Staff, 25 people.

2. 6/18/2013, SWD Twilight Meeting SWD traps; SWD trap network; SWD blog, map and online information, Trumansburg, NY, growers, extension educator, 12 people.

3. 8/1/2013, Spotted wing Drosophila trap network in New York, Summer Fruit Field Day, Geneva, NY, Berry and grape growers, consultants, industry reps, extension educators, faculty, 100 people.

4. 9/10/2013, Field meeting on biology and management of spotted wing drosophila, Stephentown, NY, Local berry growers and extension educators, 15 people.

5. 10/30/2013, Spotted Wing Drosophila Regional Report, NY State. NE IPM SWD Working Group Meeting, Bridgeton, NJ, Berry growers, consultants, industry reps, extension educators, faculty, 54 people.

6. 12/9/2013, Spotted Wing Drosophila: Biology, Crops of Concern, Best Management Practices, Chautauqua County Small Fruit Meeting, Portland, NY, Berry growers, extension educators, Master Gardeners, 15 people.

7. 1/7/2014, Funding strategiesworking with stakeholders and state agencies, eFly, SWD working group meeting for Southeast region, Raleigh, NC, Growers, researchers, extension educators, industry representatives, and government regulators, 30 people.

8. 1/23/2014, Assessment of lures for monitoring adult SWD, Empire State Producers Expo, Syracuse, NY, Berry growers, extension educators, faculty, industry reps, 80 people.

9. 1/23/2014, Enhancing insecticide efficacy with phagostimulants, Empire State Producers Expo, Syracuse, NY, Berry growers, extension educators, faculty, industry reps, 80 people.

10. 1/23/2014, Spotted Wing Drosophila Trap Network - 2013, Empire State Producers Expo, Syracuse, NY, Berry growers, extension educators, faculty, industry reps, 80 people.

11. 1/27/2014, Understanding insecticides and how they work in the age of SWD, Annual meeting of the National Raspberry and Blackberry Association, Hershey, PA, Bramble growers, extension educators, industry representatives, 75 people.

12. 1/27/2014, Spotted wing drosophila biology and management, Annual meeting of the National Raspberry and Blackberry Association, Hershey, PA, Bramble growers, extension educators, industry representatives, 75 people.

13. 3/4/2014, Spotted Wing Drosophila in Berry Crops, Berry Grower Workshop, Broome County CCE, Binghamton, NY, Berry growers, extension educators, 13 people.

14. 5/15/2014, Spotted Wing Drosophila Workshop, Barton Lab, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators, 17 people.

15. 7/24/2014, Learning how to identify and control spotted wing Drosophila in berry and tree fruit, Lake Ontario Summer Fruit Tour, various sites along Lake Ontario, NY, Tree fruit and berry growers, 75 people.

Impacts
The use of adult monitoring traps to help growers determine when to initiate control measures for SWD is one IPM strategy being tested in this project. Although not ready for implementation, we conducted our trials on two commercial farms in 2013 (and again in 2014 on six farms with funding from other sources). Numerous educational materials were produced in conjunction with this and related projects including websites, blogs, webinars, guidelines and fact sheets (see list of publications, web sites, webinars, and presentations under outcomes). We provided specific training on monitoring adult SWD for 12 Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel in addition to information provided to 15 cooperating growers as part of objectives 2 and 3. We estimate that over 700 growers and industry representatives attended presentations and an unknown number found information on web sites and other online resources associated with the project.

Report Appendices

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