Combatting the spotted-wing drosophila

Since 2011 when it was first detected in Switzerland, the spotted-wing drosophila has spread throughout the country’s fruit and wine-growing regions, causing huge economic losses in recent years. The scale of the damage is largely determined by the strategies to prevent and control the species, in addition to weather conditions. Selecting appropriate measures is therefore crucial to fruit production and its downstream stages.

Optimising risk management

ETH Zurich and Agroscope are together investigating the factors that determine which risk management strategies are applied, and what damage occurs. For the project, fruit growers are being asked about their perception of the risk, the effectiveness of various strategies, the implementation of operating measures and the characteristics of the farm. The goal here is to quantify the damage and better understand the strategies selected, in order to develop appropriate decision-making tools for the farmers.

Surveys over a three-year term

A series of surveys is being carried out all over Switzerland in the next three years, on four endangered crops (berries, cherries, plums and grapes). It will record in space and time the losses and the current risk management behaviour. In this highly interdisciplinary project, researchers from economics and entomology are working closely with consultants and producers, and are supported by a group of representatives from consulting, industry, research and government authorities. The project got underway with a kick-off meeting on 21.11.2016.

Part of a national task force

The project has an economic focus, and so complements Agroscope’s current work in entomology and production technology. It is supported by the Federal Office for Agriculture through the national task force on the spotted-wing drosophila.