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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #282383
Title: Identification and field evaluation of fermentation volatiles from wine and vinegar that mediate attraction of spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii

Author
item Cha, Dong
item ADAMS, TODD - Oregon Department Of Agriculture
item ROGG, HELMUTH - Oregon Department Of Agriculture
item Landolt, Peter

Submitted to: Journal of Chemical Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2012
Publication Date: 11/1/2012
Citation: Cha, D.H., Adams, T., Rogg, H., Landolt, P.J. 2012. Identification and field evaluation of fermentation volatiles from wine and vinegar that mediate attraction of spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 38:1419-1431.

Interpretive Summary: Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a newly introduced pest of numerous fruit crops that is spreading rapidly through the western U.S., including areas of extensive commercial fruit production. Trapping with fermented food baits (chiefly vinegar) is presently the means of detecting and monitoring the fly, and warning growers of the need to apply insecticides. Currently, there are no chemical attractants identified and no synthetic chemical lures for SWD. Researchers at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Wapato, Washington, in collaboration with scientists at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Salem, Oregon, are developing synthetic chemical attractants for SWD, for use in detection and management. Using the combination of gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry, these researchers identified 15 wine and vinegar volatile compounds that can be detected by antennae of SWD. Based on results of a series of laboratory and field trapping experiments, they developed multi-component synthetic chemical lures that are similar in attractiveness to a fermented food type bait. This result provides a first synthetic attractant that might be useful for developing a lure for detection, monitoring and management of SWD.

Technical Abstract: The spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) can be trapped with fermented baits, such as wines and vinegars, but there are no chemical attractants identified and no synthetic chemical lures for SWD. Gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), two-choice laboratory bioassays and field trapping experiments were used to identify attractive chemicals from a Merlot grape wine (Vitis vinifera) and rice vinegar (Oryza sativa). In addition to acetic acid and ethanol, the two major volatiles from vinegar and wine respectively, consistent EAD responses were obtained for 13 volatile wine compounds and 7 volatile vinegar compounds, with all of the vinegar EAD-active compounds also present in wine. In two-choice laboratory bioassays, seven EAD-active compounds (ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl lactate, 1-hexanol, isoamyl acetate, 2-methylbutyl acetate, and ethyl sorbate) added singly to a mixture of acetic acid and ethanol decreased the attraction of SWD compared to the mixture of acetic acid and ethanol by itself. We field tested the remaining EAD-active chemicals. The resulting 8-component wine blend [acetic acid + ethanol + acetoin + grape butyrate + methionol + isoamyl lactate + 2-phenylethanol + diethyl succinate] and 5-component vinegar blend [acetic acid + ethanol + acetoin + grape butyrate + 2-phenylethanol] were similar in attractiveness to the mixture of wine and vinegar in both two-choice laboratory assays and the field trapping experiment. These results provide a first synthetic attractant that might be useful for developing a lure for detection, monitoring and management of SWD.