The Nottingham lab is trialing a new technique to control spotted wing drosophila (SWD), the top pest of Washington blueberries and raspberries, by releasing sterile males (‘SIR’, or Sterile Insect Release). We partnered with the Saint Louis company, Agragene, that developed a sterilization technology using CRISPR-cas9. We invited Agragene to northwestern Washington in April to present their technology and meet with blueberry and raspberry stakeholders.
The project is being funded by grants from the Washington Blueberry and Red Raspberry Commissions, the Washington Commission on Integrated Pest Management, and the WSU CAHNRS Emerging Research Initiatives program.