National Sterile Insect Technique Day, Tuesday 2 December 2025 at the CTIFL centre in Balandran.

The sterile insect technique is a promising alternative to control the infestation of Drosophila suzukii. The potential of SIT in controlling D. suzukii has been demonstrated in greenhouse strawberry and raspberry crops, but not in cherry crops. We set up a field trial to evaluate 1) the survival of sterile males and their dispersal in cherry orchards, and 2) the impact of sterile male releases on D. suzukii damage in netted cherry trees. The average survival of sterile males was 2.3 days under stressful conditions and 4-5 days in the field. The average dispersal of sterile males was 15 m around the release point during the summer season, compared to 25 m in the spring. In single-row netted cherry trees, biweekly releases of sterile males reduced the probability of fruit infestation by 16%. The use of TIS for D. suzukii management is a promising solution. The results of this study are important for the implementation of TIS in cherry crops.