Efficacy of an Autochthonous Strain of Entomopathogenic Fungi for the Control of Drosophila Suzukii Infestation in an Apulian Cherry Orchard

Piscitelli L and Baser N*

CIHEAM Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy

*Corresponding Author: Baser N, CIHEAM Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.

Received: July 22, 2022; Published: November 09, 2022

Abstract

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive pest which has recently spread worldwide. The damage of this pest to fruit production is highest in the immediate pre-harvest period, thus making insecticide applications unsuitable. Sustainable management strategies, such as the use of specialized biological control agents able to suppress population outbreaks in the invaded areas, are presently scarce. In this study, the use of an Apulian strain (Southern Italy) of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is proposed against D. suzukii, as a possible sustainable control strategy for autochthonous organic cherry orchards. Levels of natural D. suzukii infestation were monitored in the month of June both in 2019 and 2020 on untreated and M. anisopliae treated cherry trees. Such a study was carried out in open field to confirm previous positive results obtained under laboratory conditions. If the numbers of infested fruits and eggs laid by the pest are considered as the infestation parameters, treatments with the local strain of M. anisopliae generally reduced D. suzukii infestation and spread. Conversely, pyrethrin, a biological insecticide used as a comparison, did not reduce D. suzukii oviposition Finally, the level of natural D. suzukii infestation was significantly affected by the different climatic conditions registered in the two years considered.

Keywords: bio-pesticides, Drosophila suzukii, EPF, infested fruits, Metarhizium anisopliae

References

1. Farnsworth D., et al. “Economic analysis of revenue losses and control costs associated with the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), in the California raspberry industry”. Pest Management Science 73 (2017): 1083-1090.
2. Dos Santos LA., et al. “Global potential distribution of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera, Drosophilidae)”. PLOS ONE 12 (2017).
3. Grassi A., et al. “Nuovo fitofago per i piccoli frutti in Trentino”. Terra Trentina (2009): 19-23.
4. Cini A., et al. “A review of the invasion of Drosophila suzukii in Europe and a draft re-search agenda for integrated pest management”. Bulletin of Insectology 65 (2012): 149-160.
5. Goodhue, et al. “Spotted wing drosophila infestation of California strawberries and raspberries: Economic analysis of potential revenue losses and control costs”. Pest Management Science 67 (2011): 1396-1402.
6. Lee JC., et al. “The susceptibility of small fruits and cherries to the spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii”. Pest Management Science 67 (2011): 1358-1367.
7. Litwin A., et al. “Entomopathogenic fungi: unconventional applications”. Environmental Science and Biotechnology 19 (2020): 23-42.
8. Ekesi S., et al. “Susceptibility of the legume flower thrips to Metarhizium anisopliae on different varieties of cowpea”. BioControl 45 (2000): 79-95.
9. Cheng Y., et al. “Evaluation of pathogenicity of the fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana in hazelnut weevil (Curculio nucum, Coleoptera, Curculionidae) larvae”. Indian Journal Microbiology 56 (2016): 405-410.
10. Oreste M., et al. “Effect of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae on the Trialeurodes vaporariorum-Encarsia formosa system”. Journal of Pest Science 89 (2016): 153-160.
11. Oreste M., et al. “Pathogenicity of Beauveria bassiana (Bals. -Criv.) Vuill. and Metarhizium anisopliae (metschn.) sorokin against Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor L. in laboratory assays”. Redia 95 (2012): 43-48.
12. Ibouh K., et al. “Biological control of Drosophila suzukii: Efficacy of parasitoids, entomopathogenic fungi, nematodes and deterrents of oviposition in laboratory assays”. Crop Protection 125 (2019): 104897.
13. Gargani E., et al. “Notes on Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Dip-teraDrosophilidae): field survey in Tuscany and laboratory evaluation of organic products”. Redia 96 (2013): 85-90.
14. Ortiz-Urquiza A and Keyhani NO. “Action on the surface: entomopathogenic fungi versus the insect cuticle”. Insects 4 (2013): 357-374.
15. Alnajjar G., et al. “Laboratory and field susceptibility of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) to entomopathogenic fungal mycoses”. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology 33 (2017): 111-132.
16. Oreste M., et al. “Potential of entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes against Drosophila suzukii in laboratory assays”. Microbial and Nematode Control of Invertebrate Pests, IOBC-WPRS Bulletin 129 (2017): 77-78.
17. Pedisić S., et al. “Effect of maturity and geographical region on anthocyanin content of sour cherries (Prunus cerasus var. marasca)”. Food Technology and Biotechnology 48 (2010): 86-93.
18. El Baji M., et al. “Year and genotype effects on the fruit physico-chemical traits of sweet cherry cultivated under Southern Mediterranean climate in Morocco” E3S Web of Conferences 183 (2020): 03004.
19. El Baji M., et al. “Morphological and pomological characteristics of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L grown in-situ under South Mediterranean climate in Morocco”. International Journal of Fruit Science 21 (2021): 52-65.
20. Winkler A., et al. “A review on temperature and humidity effects on Drosophila suzukii population dynamics”. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 22 (2020): 179-192.
21. Kinjo H., et al. “Effects of temperature on the reproduction and development of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)”. Journal Applied Entomology and Zoology 49 (2014): 297-304.
22. Tochen S., et al. “Temperature-related development and population parameters for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) on cherry and blueberry”. Environmental Entomology 43 (2014): 501-510.
23. Asplen MK., et al. “Invasion biology of spotted wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii): a global perspective and future priorities”. Journal of Pest Science 88 (2015): 469-494.
24. Ozdemir I., et al. “Efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungi; Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae against the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)”. Journal of Biological Pest Control 30 (2020): 1.
25. Shipp JL., et al. “Influence of humidity and greenhouse microclimate on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) for control of greenhouse arthropod pests”. Environmental Entomology 32 (2003): 1154-1163.
26. Mishra S., et al. “Effect of temperature and humidity on pathogenicity of native Beauveria bassiana isolate against Musca domestica L”. Journal of Parasitic Diseases 39 (2015): 697-704.
27. Alali S., et al. “Thermo-tolerant isolates of Beauveria bassiana as potential control agent of insect pest in subtropical climates”. PLoS ONE 14 (2019): e0211457.
28. Chen ZH., et al. “Efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae isolate MAX-2 from Shangrila, China under desiccation stress”. BMC Microbiology 14 (2014): 4.
29. Athanassiou CG., et al. “Influence of temperature and relative humidity on the insecticidal efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae against larvae of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on wheat”. Journal of Insect Science 17 (2017): 1-7.
30. Zafar J., et al. “Metarhizium anisopliae challenges immunity and demography of Plutella xylostella”. Insects 11 (2020): 694.
31. Haviland DR and Beers EH. “Chemical Control Programs for Drosophila suzukii that Comply with International Limitations on Pesticide Residues for Exported Sweet Cherries”. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 3 (2012): 1-6.
32. Schöneberg T., et al. “Cultural control of Drosophila suzukii in small fruit-current and pending tactics in the U.S”. Insects 12 (2021): 172.
33. Mazzi D., et al. “Economic impact of the introduction and establishment of Drosophila suzukii on sweet cherry production in Switzerland”. Insects 8 (2017) 18.
34. Knapp L., et al. “The economic impact of Drosophila suzukii: perceived costs and revenue losses of Swiss cherry, plum and grape growers”. Pest Management Science 77 (2021): 978-1000.

Citation

Citation: Piscitelli L and Baser N. “Efficacy of an Autochthonous Strain of Entomopathogenic Fungi for the Control of Drosophila Suzukii Infestation in an Apulian Cherry Orchard". Acta Scientific Agriculture 6.12 (2022): 20-27.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Piscitelli L and Baser N. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.