Datensatz

Zusammenfassung

Since the first reports of damage by Drosophila suzukii, the spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD), over a decade ago in Europe,
widespread efforts have been made to understand both the ecology and the evolution of this insect pest, especially due to its
phylogenetic proximity to one of the original model organisms, D. melanogaster. In addition, researchers have sought to find
economically viable solutions for the monitoring and management of this agricultural pest, which has now swept across much of
Europe, North America and Asia. In a new direction of study, we present an investigation of plant-based chemistry, where we
search for natural compounds that are structurally similar to known olfactory cues from parasitoid wasps that in turn are welldescribed
ovipositional avoidance cues for many Drosophila species. Here we test 11 plant species across two plant genera,
Nepeta and Actinidia, and while we find iridoid compounds in both, only those odorants from Actinidia are noted to be detected
by the insect antenna, and in addition, found to be behaviorally active. Moreover, the Actinidia extracts resulted in oviposition
avoidance when they were added to fruit samples in the laboratory. Thus we propose the possible efficacy of these plants or their
extracted chemistry as a novel means for establishing a cost-effective integrated pest management strategy towards the control of
this pest fly.