In California, Drosophila suzukii, known as SWD, is developing increasing resistance to insecticides. This insect has become a problem for cherry, sugar cane and strawberry growers since its arrival in 2008, spreading to other states in the USA, Mexico and Europe.
SWD females, thanks to their serrated ovipositor, can even lay their eggs in hard-skinned fruits, damaging them. This leads to increased susceptibility to insects and diseases, as pointed out by the University of Minnesota Extension.
Entomologist Jhalindra Rijal conducted studies on SWD in cherries and revealed that resistance problems developed rapidly. Management practices based on spinosin, pyrethroids and malathion contributed to this resistance due to the limited use of active ingredients.
The inability to vary active ingredients has led to increasing resistance among SWD populations, not only in California but also in other regions of the US, such as Georgia and Michigan, which have experienced similar problems. Scientific studies have shown a significant decrease in the susceptibility of SWD adults to various insecticides, resulting in lower than expected mortality. Spinosad resistance has been widespread on the Central Coast.
Fonte: Farm Progress
Foto: Italian Berry
23 Apr 2024
Since 2017, the MSU team has been comparing the performance of early dwarfing rootstocks (all from the Corette® series), developed by the university itself, with reference rootstocks Gisela 5, Gisela 12, Gisela 3 (sweet cherry only) and Maxma14.
15 Aug 2024
As far as the domestic market is concerned, according to data from SIMA GPP, there was a price increase in 2023 compared to the previous three-year period 2020-2022, especially in the last weeks of the campaign, where the price rose from around 3€/kg to around 4.70€/kg.
19 May 2026
A study carried out in Konya, Turkey, analyzes energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and input use in sour cherry production, highlighting strong productivity but high reliance on electricity, chemical fertilizers and non-renewable sources across the production cycle today.
19 May 2026
Carolina Yañez analyses how Chile aims to strengthen Drosophila suzukii management through preventive monitoring, data, innovation and international cooperation, protecting export cherries and berries from growing phytosanitary pressure in the most demanding global markets.
