Provide methods development support to the fruit fly program

Texas A&M University-Kingsville received a $187,602 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), effective September 30, 2025, with completion targeted for September 29, 2027. The recipient will provide methods development support to the Fruit Fly Program in collaboration with APHIS Science and Technology, focusing on optimizing rearing strategies for a domestic closed colony rearing system for Black Pupal Strain 10 flies.

The primary deliverables include the development of standardized operating procedures (SOPs) for closed colony rearing to support Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) field operations during the program transition, and improvements to the current cage design used by domestic U.S. field operations to support Black Pupal Strain flies. The work will directly serve PPQ field operations and the U.S. citrus industry as primary stakeholders, contributing to the agency's mission of protecting U.S. agriculture from economically injurious pests.

The recipient will work with aphis S & T to optimize rearing strategies to establish new and standardized operating procedures for creating and maintaining a domestic closed colony rearing system for black pupal strain 10 flies. This project aims to 1) develop sops for closed colony rearing to support PPQ field operations as the transition progresses, and 2) improve the current cage design used by domestic US field operations to support BPS flies. PPQ field operations and the US citrus industry are the primary stakeholders for this project.