From bench to farm: leveraging Drosophila as a model insect for agricultural pest management.
Cai Yao D YD, Chiu Joanna C JC
The vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has contributed tremendously to advancing our understanding of the fundamentals of biology, from the chromosomal theory of inheritance to the survival of multi-cellular organisms in spaceflight. The use of this insect as a model organism has provided insights into all branches of life sciences, including agricultural and environmental sciences. In the context of integrated pest management (IPM), which often relies on species-specific natural history and phenology of pest insects and biological control, D. melanogaster flies have continued to be a powerhouse. In this review, we seek to summarize the use of the D. melanogaster model in studying insect biology relevant to IPM, with a focus on investigating the mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance. We sample case studies that adopt forward genetic approaches to reveal molecular underpinnings of IPM-relevant phenotypes and reverse genetic approaches that elucidate genotype-phenotype relationships. In particular, we highlight the contribution of D. melanogaster in understanding the biology and in developing IPM for the spotted-wing drosophila, also known as D. suzukii, a pest Drosophila species that devastates fruit production worldwide. Finally, we summarize recently developed research tools and resources in D. melanogaster that have potential utility for agricultural pest management.