Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research
Project Number: 2040-43000-018-032-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2023
End Date: Jul 31, 2025
Objective:
(a) Determine key attractant components of the 16-component (16c) lure that can maintain attractiveness at high release rates.
(b) Improve the attractiveness of the 16c lure by adding additional key attractants from two other attractive host fruits of OFF.
(c) Optimize release rates of key attractant components with controlled release dispensers.
Approach:
1. Determine key attractant components of the 16-component lure that maintain attractiveness at high release rates: To determine the key attractants of the 16c lure, we will conduct a drop-out experiment. This will involve comparing the 16c blend to blends that are missing single compounds from the 16c blend, along with negative (no lure) and positive control (Torula Yeast) traps. Thus, a total 16 different 15-component drop-out blends will be tested for this experiment. This approach will simplify the blend by eliminating compounds that do not contribute to blend attractiveness. For trapping, we will use multi-lure traps and 1 ml of neat individual chemicals will be loaded to 4 ml polypropylene vials with cotton and chemicals will be released through a hole (3 mm) in the vial lids.
2. Improve the attractiveness of the 16c lure by adding additional key attractants from two other attractive host fruits of OFF: We will improve the attractiveness of the 16c lure by adding some attractants specific to other OFF host fruits, based on the hypothesis that the multiple host fruit odor-based lure may perform better than a lure based on odors from a single host fruit species by better distinguishing themselves from background odors from a particular host fruit species in an orchard. We will conduct an add-on experiment, using the key attractant blend from #1 above as a basal attractant to determine co-attractiveness of the mango and Surinam cherry specific EAD-active compounds. If there is more than one co-attractant, we will compare the attractiveness of the basal attractant (key attractant blend from #1) with a lure composed of basal attractant plus the co-attractants identified in #2. The attractiveness of the final multi-host fruit lure will be compared to the guava odor-based lure from #1 across different fruit orchards (e.g., guava, papaya, etc).
3. Optimize release rates of key attractant components with controlled release dispensers: Release rates and ratio of blend components affect insect attraction. Thus, we will (a) create a range of release rates of key attractants from #1 and #2 using different sachet lures and vial lures and (b) select vial or sachet lure specifications that produce proper chemical release rates appropriate for dose-response tests. The release rates of sachet lure will be varied by using different thickness and size of polyethylene plastic films. The release rates of vial lures will be varied by altering hole sizes (1-5 mm diameter) on the vial cap and different vial size (4-8 ml). Dose-response tests will be conducted by varying release rates of a lure component while holding the release rates of other blend components constant. Optimum release rates of individual blend components will be determined based on trap catches to prepare an optimum blend for field test.
