This webinar took place on March 9, 2021.
Find additional resources at https://eorganic.info/spottedwingorganic/resources
Extension bulletin: Management Recommendations for Spotted Wing Drosophila in Organic Berry Crops, University of Georgia Extension, 2018
Download the webinar slides here
About the Webinar
Spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) has emerged as a devastating pest of small and stone fruits worldwide. Losses due to SWD can be as high as 100% and have been valued more than $718 million annually in the U.S. The zero tolerance for SWD in fresh fruit has led conventional growers to make preventative insecticide applications when fruit are ripe. Organic management of SWD is even more challenging due to the low number of effective OMRI-approved materials and limited understanding on the biology of SWD to translate into non-chemical management tactics. Our multi-regional team was funded by USDA-NIFA through OREI Award No. 2018-51300-28434 to develop, evaluate and implement systems-based organic management programs for SWD. This webinar will provide a comprehensive update on organic management of spotted-wing drosophila. It will summarize findings of the research conducted by our project team on organically approved strategies including behavioral, cultural, biological, and chemical tactics to manage SWD.
Presenters include:
Dr. Ash Sial (University of Georgia): Ash Sial is blueberry entomologist at the UGA and is Project Director for the SWD Organic Management grant funded by USDA-NIFA through OREI.
Dr. Kent Daane (University of California Berkeley): Kent is an Extension Specialist at UC Berkeley with a focus classical and augmentative biological control. He is known worldwide for his work on biological control of SWD.
Dr. Elena Rhodes (University of Florida): Elena is a fruit entomologist and works on behavioral management techniques to control spotted-wing Drosophila.
Dr. Gabriella Tait (Oregon State University): Gabriella is a fruit entomologist and works on cultural control strategies for spotted-wing Drosophila.
Steve Van Timmeren (Michigan State University): Steve is a fruit entomologist and works on chemical control and resistance management strategies for spotted-wing Drosophila.
Leah English (University of Arkansas): Leah is agricultural economist and develops production budgets and interactive economics-based tools to aid farmers with production and pest management decisions.
Dr. Kay Kelsey (University of Georgia): Kay is impact evaluation specialist and works with farmers and researchers to develop tools to evaluate impact of research and extension projects.
