From bench to farm: leveraging Drosophila as a model insect for agricultural pest management

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.