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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #358957
Research Project: Detection, Control and Area-wide Management of Fruit Flies and Other Quarantine Pests of Tropical/Subtropical Crops

Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research

Title: Raspberry Ketone Trifluoroacetate trapping of Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) in Hawaii

Author
item LEHMAN, KATHERINE - Eastern Mennonite University
item BARAHONA, DIEGO - Eastern Mennonite University
item Manoukis, Nicholas
item Carvalho, Lori
item DE FAVERI, STEFANO - Department Of Food And Agriculture Western Australia
item Auth, Jean
item SIDERHURST, MATTHEW - Eastern Mennonite University

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2018
Publication Date: 2/1/2019
Citation: Lehman, K.A., Barahona, D.C., Manoukis, N., Carvalho, L.A., De Faveri, S., Auth, J.E., Siderhurst, M.S. 2019. Raspberry Ketone Trifluoroacetate trapping of Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) in Hawaii. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112(3):1306-1313. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz006.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz006

Interpretive Summary: In this paper researchers tested the response of the melon fly (Zeugodacus cucrbitae) males to a novel lure, raspberry ketone trifluoroacetate (RKTA). Melon fly is an important pest of many cucurbits, so an improved lure to detect and control this pest would be helpful. Experiments were conducted on Hawaii Island in outdoor screened cages, in open papaya field and by observing individual fly response to the lure with cameras outdoors. Results suggest RKTA may be a superior attractant to melon fly males than existing alternatives.

Technical Abstract: The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of tropical horticulture, causing damage to cucurbits, tree fruits, and fruiting vegetables. The deployment of male lures comprises an important component of several detection and control strategies for this pest, with the main male attractant currently in use being cuelure (CL). A novel fluorinated analog of raspberry ketone (RK), raspberry ketone trifluoroacetate (RKTA), has been developed for the control of Bactrocera tryoni, a related pest; here we test this compound for attraction to Z. cucurbitae. In outdoor screen cage testing, observations showed both more flies on filter papers, and a higher percentage of flies feeding, on papers treated with RKTA than on those treated with CL or melolure (ML). Field trapping in papaya fields with both yellow sticky traps and bucket traps found that RKTA captured more flies during the first 6 h of trapping than CL, while trap captures in the subsequent 18 h did not differ between the two lures. When comparing trap captures combining over the 24 h trapping period, yellow sticky traps containing RKTA captured more flies those with CL, while bucket trap captures did not vary by lure. Analysis of lures weathered on filter paper found that nearly all applied RKTA hydrolyzed to RK within 6 h. Fine scale fly behaviors were digitally recorded in a papaya field on side-by-side stages. Median resting distances from the lure of responding flies were shorter for RKTA than for CL. Shorter resting distances may result from melon flies orienting to and approaching RKTA more quickly than CL and from flies spending more time feeding directly on RKTA than on CL. This study demonstrates the inherent attractivity of RKTA while also highlight the instability of this compound due to hydrolysis.