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Video Q&A ViewAttendees 3

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Student Competition 10-Minute Paper

Undergrad P-IE: Biodiversity, Biocontrol, and Resistance On-Demand Presentations

Comparing relative attractiveness of adult spotted-wing drosophila to blueberries treated with different insecticides with or without a novel adjuvant combi-protec

On-Demand
Student Competition On-Demand

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Noora Chandasir

    Student
    University of Georgia
    Athens, Georgia

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AB

    Arun Babu

    Postdoctoral Associate
    University of Georgia
    Athens, Georgia

  • AS

    Ashfaq Sial

    University of Georgia
    Athens, Georgia

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive species that was detected in the United States in 2008, causing severe crop damage to soft and stone fruits. Combi-protec (Andermatt Inc., Brighton, UK), is a novel adjuvant that consists of plant extract, proteins, and sugars. When mixed with insecticide spray solution, this adjuvant acts as a phagostimulant, that encourages D. suzukii feeding, resulting in enhanced insecticide uptake.  The behavioral response of D. suzukii adults to combi-protec and insecticide spray mixtures with commonly used insecticides are currently unknown. In this study, the relative attractiveness of combi-protect and insecticide versus insecticide without the added adjuvant to D. suzukii in blueberries was tested by using choice bioassays. The number of insects that chose a specific treatment choice were counted twenty-four hours after insect release. Additionally, semi-field bioassays were conducted to compare the effectiveness of insecticide spray with and without combi-protec. The addition of combi-protec with selected insecticide does not alter the behavior of D. suzukii in choosing the blueberries sprayed with insecticide. However, when blueberries were treated with combi-protect, D. suzukii adults were less attracted to this treatment than the blueberries treated with water. The results from this study will identify the behavioral response of D. suzukii adult to insecticide solution with combi-protec and inform the scientific community about the effectiveness of combi-protec as an adjuvant in D. suzukii insecticide management programs