The primary purpose of this agreement is to develop a biological control strategy for european cherry fruit fly (rhagoletis cerasi, ecff), a is a serious pest of cherry and an invasive pest of concern…

This federal Cooperative Agreement award from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), is focused on developing a biological control strategy for the European Cherry Fruit Fly (ECFF), an invasive pest recently detected in New York.

The $115,000 award to Cornell University will support surveys to determine the distribution of ECFF and identify potential biological control agents, such as parasitoids and entomopathogenic nematodes, in the New York region. The project aims to provide critical information to help limit the spread of ECFF to major cherry-producing regions in Michigan and the West Coast. Key deliverables include a list of efficacious biological control agents, ECFF flight phenology data, and efficacy assessments of endemic and reared nematodes for ECFF control. This work is intended to directly benefit cherry growers and regulatory agencies by informing potential efforts to further distribute or augment established biological control agents against this invasive pest.

The primary purpose of this agreement is to develop a biological control strategy for european cherry fruit fly (rhagoletis cerasi, ecff), a is a serious pest of cherry and an invasive pest of concern in the united states. Ecff females damage cherries by depositing eggs inside the fruit. The larvae then feed on the pulp of the fruit, rendering IT damaged and unsuitable for sale for the fresh fruit market, greatly reducing its economic value. In temperate climates, ecff typically only completes one generation per year however, damage can result in losses of up to 100% if left untreated due to multiple factors. In 2016, canada found ecff on its alternate host, wild bush honeysuckle (lonicera SP), across the U.S. Border in ontario. Shortly after, in 2017, ecff was detected in wild honeysuckles and sweet cherry trees along the niagara river in new york state which was the first detection of ecff in the united states. IT is important to limit the spread of ecff to the larger production regions in michigan state as well as the west coast states which produce the bulk of the cherries in the united states. There are many candidate parasitoids or entomopathogenic nematodes likely present in the areas of invasion of new york state. The central goal of this project is to characterize the identity and distribution of potential biological control agents in the region of recent invasion as well as to assess or increase efficacy of potential biological control agents. Activities to be performed: to determine the distribution of european cherry fruit fly (ecff), and potential biological control agents, surveys will be conducted in areas where ecff has been previously found in new york state. Field sites will be selected from areas previously shown to have established populations of ecff. Five to ten locations will be chosen that include both commercial cherry planting and adjacent habitat that includes bush honeysuckle. Ripe fruit will be collected from bush honeysuckle and from commercial cherries weekly during the fruiting period (approximately 400 g bush honeysuckle and 400 g cherries per site). The fruit will be held under controlled environmental conditions in the laboratory and all emerging flies and parasitoids collected and counted. Parasitoids will be initially grouped by morphotype and then identified by diagnostic morphological characte ristics and/or molecular methods working with USDA ARS experts. In the same study fields, yellow sticky cards will be deployed to monitor fruit fly movement into the field and fly phenology. In conjunction with fruit collect and trapping to survey ecff and its PAR asitoids, soil samples will also be collected to retrieve entomopathogenic nematodes from regional soils associated with detection ecff. At each site, five to ten plants will be sampled. To sample each plant, we will take five soil cores from around the base of the plant. Once in the laboratory, soil will be homogenized and then, 200 g subsamples will be weighed out into deep well petri dishes. To extract entomopathogenic nematodes, the soil sub samples will be baited with five wax worm larvae (galleria mellonella). The soil will be checked at three, seven, and ten days after collection for dead and potentially nematode infested wax worm larvae. Infected wax worms will be placed on white traps to collect nematodes coming from the cadavers. Nematodes collected from cadavers will be used to confirm their biological control potential by repeating the infection of the wax worm larvae. Nematodes found to be effective in controlling wax worm larvae will be identified utilizing differences in sequence identity (i.e., molecular barcodes). Deliverables and expected outcomes: a list of potential efficacious biological control agents found in new york state. Flight phenology of e CFF in wild hosts and adjacent commercial cherries in relationship to date, temperature accumulation and relative humidity. Efficacy data on the use of endemic and reared entomopathogenic nematodes for ecff. Intended beneficiary(IES): the direct beneficiaries will be cherry growers and regulatory personnel by providing them the information needed to determine if efforts should be made to further distribute or augment populations of established biological control agents that are already present in the united states. The efficacious biological agents identified in this project could help reduce populations and limit the pest's spread to the larger production regions in michigan as well as the west coast states which produce the bulk of the cherries in the united states. No subawards are anticipated for this agreement.