Swipe, like, match: Do wild Drosophila suzukii females like transgenic males?

The spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive pest that poses a serious threat to small and stone fruit production, causing significant economic losses worldwide. Native to East Asia, due to its high plasticity and adaptability to changing environmental conditions, it rapidly expanded its range in North America and Europe following its introduction as an alien species. Since the use of insecticides did not bring the desired results at high costs, among the least toxic alternatives, in the last few years, the application of a CRISPR-based technology, known as gene drive, has emerged as a potential control tactic. Gene drive involves genetic constructs that, once inserted into the insect's genome, can be programmed to disrupt key genes involved in fertility. Specific transcription promoters activate the CRISPR/Cas9 complex in germline cells, inducing allele conversion on the non-mutant homologous chromosome. This results in super-Mendelian inheritance of the mutated allele across generations and is thus capable of spreading through populations in a self-spreading manner. Gene drive, therefore, represents a new potential integrated pest management (IPM) strategy for cost-effective, long-term population suppression. To achieve that, it is critical to ensure that male gene drive carriers remain competitive in mating with wild-type females. This study evaluates the mating competitiveness of laboratory-produced gene drive lines in comparison with wild SWD populations from the Trentino province, in North-East Italy. Multiple indicators were analyzed, including courtship behavior, morphological traits, and key biological parameters.