A new research programme designed to help the UK fruit industry manage spotted wing drosophila has been announced.
The four-year project, which started last month, is being funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), and led by NIAB EMR.
Marion Regan, Hugh Lowe Farms, said: "Spotted wing drosophila remains the most serious threat to the soft and stone fruit industry that we have encountered in my lifetime.
"A concerted industry effort has gone into research since the pest was identified in 2012 and we have learned a great deal about the pest’s behaviour in the UK and the best control options currently available.
"It is essential however that AHDB continues to use grower levy money to extend our quest to develop new and improved control techniques."
'Control methods'
Dr Rachel McGauley, crop production systems scientist at AHDB, said: "This project will use the findings we have made from the initial research project which finished in March this year to develop several novel management strategies which can be integrated with traditional control methods.
"Ultimately the aim is to provide growers with a wide range of control methods which will ensure the long-term viability of soft and stone fruit production, in spite of the continuing presence of SWD."
It follows an initial research project which identified that spotted wing drosophila (SWD) will not be controlled by any one method alone, and future control will depend on an integrated approach using biological and novel methods, while reducing populations in and around crops.
Learned 'a huge amount'
Control methods will need to be compatible with a production system that maintains high levels of crop hygiene.
Scott Raffle, knowledge exchange manager at AHDB, said: "We have learned a huge amount about how SWD behaves in UK conditions from the latest research findings.
"Working closely with the soft and stone fruit industry through the SWD Industry Working Group we have produced a wealth of resources based on the research results to help growers in the UK better manage and control the pest, including best practice videos, factsheets, guides and posters."
The news follows a report by Kew Gardens suggesting that the spread of pests and pathogens could cost global agriculture £400 billion a year if left unchecked.
