PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study offers new insights on invasive fly threatening US fruit crops

Study offers new insights on invasive fly threatening US fruit crops
2013-03-15
(Press-News.org) Humans aren't the only species with a sweet tooth. Research from North Carolina State University shows that the invasive spotted-wing vinegar fly (Drosophila suzukii) also prefers sweet, soft fruit – giving us new insight into a species that has spread across the United States over the past four years and threatens to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to U.S. fruit crops.

"Because we know that D. suzukii prefers softer, sweeter fruit, we can focus our research efforts into which wild fruits may serve as reservoirs for this species and help identify new crops that might be at risk," says Dr. Hannah Burrack, an assistant professor of entomology at NC State and lead author of a paper on the research. "These findings may also be a starting point for plant breeders interested in developing new fruit varieties that are more resistant to D. suzukii."

Originally from east Asia, D. suzukii were first detected in California in 2008. They have since spread to states from Wisconsin to North Carolina to Florida. The female flies use serrated blades on the tip of their abdomens to cut through the skin of ripe fruit and lay their eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the flesh of the fruit until they reach maturity – ruining the fruit in the process.

Sellers go to great pains to remove infested fruit before it reaches the marketplace, so consumers won't notice a difference in fruit quality. But infestations can cause significant economic problems for fruit growers. For example, researchers estimate that D. suzukii has the potential to destroy 40 percent of blackberry and raspberry crops in the eastern U.S., which would affect berry prices and availability.

D. suzukii already causes tens of millions of dollars in crop damage annually to cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. But researchers estimate that losses could climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars per year if the pest can't be controlled.

While ongoing studies explore pesticide-based approaches to control D. suzukii, the new research from NC State should help scientists and farmers with other control options.

For example, the study found that D. suzukii are more likely to infest certain varieties of raspberries and blackberries. This means growers may be able to limit crop damage by planting more of the varieties that D. suzukii tend to avoid. Similarly, this information allows farmers to focus pesticide treatment on varieties that are most susceptible to infestation.

The three-year study evaluated D. suzukii impacts in commercial blackberry and raspberry crops in North Carolina, and also encompassed laboratory experiments to help researchers determine which characteristics made fruits more likely to be infested. The work was supported by the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium, North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, North Carolina Department of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and North Carolina Blueberry Council.



INFORMATION:



The paper, "Variation in selection and utilization of host crops in the field and laboratory by Drosophila suzukii Matsumara (Diptera: Drosophilidae), an invasive frugivore," was published online March 14 in Pest Management Science. Co-authors are Dr. Gina Fernandez, a professor of horticultural science at NC State; Taylor Spivey, an undergraduate at Brevard College; and Dylan Kraus, an undergraduate at NC State.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study offers new insights on invasive fly threatening US fruit crops

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Report: Communications technology among tools needed to aid miner safety

2013-03-15
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A new National Academy of Sciences report identifies tools that would help miners devise their own means of escape when trapped underground. In part, the report suggests that The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) work closely with technology companies to develop new communications and tracking devices—ones that keep working underground after a mining accident. It also suggests that NIOSH and MSHA work with mining companies to enable frequent escape drills and extensive training ...

Mindfulness at school reduces likelihood of depression-related symptoms in adolescents

2013-03-15
Mindfulness is a form of meditation therapy focused on exercising 'attentiveness'. Depression is often rooted in a downward spiral of negative feelings and worries. Once a person learns to more quickly recognise these feelings and thoughts, he or she can intervene before depression sinks in. While mindfulness has already been widely tested and applied in patients with depression, this is the first time the method has been studied in a large group of adolescents in a school-based setting, using a randomised controlled design. The study was carried out at five middle schools ...

New NIST microscope measures nanomagnet property vital to 'spintronics'

2013-03-15
VIDEO: Animation of spin waves excited by a transient magnetic field pulse in a nanomagnet, as simulated with NIST micromagnetics software (Object Oriented MicroMagnetic Framework, or OOMMF). Click here for more information. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new microscope able to view and measure an important but elusive property of the nanoscale magnets used in an advanced, experimental form of digital memory. The new instrument ...

New research paper says we are still at risk of the plague

2013-03-15
Today archaeologists unearthed a 'Black Death' grave in London, containing more than a dozen skeletons of people suspected to have died from the plague. The victims are thought to have died during the 14th century and archaeologists anticipate finding many more as they excavate the site. The Plague is by definition a re-emerging infectious disease which affects the lungs and is highly contagious, leading to mass outbreaks across populations. History shows us that population levels suffered globally due to the plague, with around 75 million people globally perishing during ...

Lost frog DNA revived: Lazarus Project

Lost frog DNA revived: Lazarus Project
2013-03-15
The genome of an extinct Australian frog has been revived and reactivated by a team of scientists using sophisticated cloning technology to implant a "dead" cell nucleus into a fresh egg from another frog species. The bizarre gastric-brooding frog, Rheobatrachus silus – which uniquely swallowed its eggs, brooded its young in its stomach and gave birth through its mouth - became extinct in 1983. But the Lazarus Project team has been able to recover cell nuclei from tissues collected in the 1970s and kept for 40 years in a conventional deep freezer. The "de-extinction" ...

Dating in middle school leads to higher dropout, drug-use rates

2013-03-15
Athens, Ga. – Students who date in middle school have significantly worse study skills, are four times more likely to drop out of school and report twice as much alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use than their single classmates, according to new research from the University of Georgia. "Romantic relationships are a hallmark of adolescence, but very few studies have examined how adolescents differ in the development of these relationships," said Pamela Orpinas, study author and professor in the College of Public Health and head of the Department of Health Promotion and ...

Nature: Smallest vibration sensor in the quantum world

Nature: Smallest vibration sensor in the quantum world
2013-03-15
This press release is available in German. In their experiment the researchers used a carbon nanotube that was mounted between two metal electrodes, spanned a distance of about 1 µm, and could vibrate mechanically. Then, they applied an organic molecule with a magnetic spin due to an incorporated metal atom. This spin was oriented in an external magnetic field. "In this setup, we demonstrated that the vibrations of the tube are influenced directly when the spin flips parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic field," explains Mario Ruben, head of the working group ...

St. Patrick's Day science: American Chemical Society video on the chemistry of alcohol and hangovers

2013-03-15
Anyone who needs a reason not to overindulge on St. Patrick's Day — or on any other day of the year — can view a new American Chemical Society (ACS) video on alcohol's effects on the body at http://www.BytesizeScience.com. St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday, and there are many ways to celebrate, like Irish soda bread at breakfast or corned beef and cabbage for dinner. For those celebrating St. Patrick's Day with green beer, moderation is key. Alcohol has several negative effects on your body — many of which usually amount to a miserable morning-after. Produced by the ...

NSF funded telescopes in Antarctica/Chile discover bursts of star formation in the early universe

NSF funded telescopes in Antarctica/Chile discover bursts of star formation in the early universe
2013-03-15
Distant, dust-filled galaxies were bursting with newborn stars much earlier in cosmic history than previously thought, according to newly published research. So-called "starburst galaxies" produce stars at the equivalent of a thousand new suns per year. Now, astronomers have found starbursts that were churning out stars when the universe was just a billion years old. "I find that pretty amazing," said Joaquin Vieira, a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology and leader of the study. "These aren't normal galaxies. These galaxies [reveal star formation] ...

Swarm intelligence

2013-03-15
Swarming is the spontaneous organised motion of a large number of individuals. It is observed at all scales, from bacterial colonies, slime moulds and groups of insects to shoals of fish, flocks of birds and animal herds. Now physicists Maksym Romenskyy and Vladimir Lobaskin from University College Dublin, Ireland, have uncovered new collective properties of swarm dynamics in a study just published in EPJ B. Ultimately, this could be used to control swarms of animals, robots, or human crowds by applying signals capable of emulating the underlying interaction of individuals ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Sulfated yeast rises to the challenge facing rare earth metals

Global analysis reveals how biochar supercharges composting and cuts greenhouse gases

Blocking a cellular switch could prevent lung-scarring disease

Planet formation depends on when it happens: UNLV model shows why

Deep sleep supports memory via brain fluid and neural rhythms

Biochar and iron additives show promise for reviving degraded peatlands and locking away carbon

Cancer cells reactivate embryo-like gene editors to fuel growth

AI analysis of world’s largest heart attack datasets opens way to new treatment strategies

Decoding dangers of Arctic sea ice with seismic, radar method

Counting bites with AI might one day help prevent childhood obesity

Utah chemists discover enzyme that could help build next-generation GLP-1 drugs

Surprising bacteria discovery links Hawaiʻi’s groundwater to the ocean

New grants for schools offer CPR training and resources to make campuses safer

30 NFL players urge fans to join Nation of Lifesavers, learn lifesaving CPR

Study finds humans outweigh climate in depleting Arizona's water supply

Old-school material could power quantum computing, cut data center energy use

Vanderbilt scientist tackles key roadblock for AI in drug discovery

Overheating bat boxes place bats in mortal danger during heatwaves

Study shows medical-legal partnerships aid recovery for patients with violent injuries

Learning the language of lasso peptides to improve peptide engineering

Social conflict among strongest predictors of teen mental health concerns

New framework can improve the planning stage of surgical quality improvement projects

Research shows anger, not fear, shifts political beliefs

Gale and Ira Drukier Prize in Children’s Health Research awarded to pediatric rheumatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital

UNF chemistry professor awarded NSF Grant to advance laser-based measurement technology

Research shows how Dust Bowl-type drought causes unprecedented productivity loss

Non-hibernating pikas' protein restriction tweaks their gut microbiome to help them survive the winter, when winter-active herbivores often struggle to find dietary protein

Not for hearing but for symbiosis

Disconnected cerebral hemisphere in epilepsy patients shows sleep-like state during wakefulness

Incentivizing risk to inspire investments in clean innovation for aviation

[Press-News.org] Study offers new insights on invasive fly threatening US fruit crops