2-Pentylfuran: A novel repellent of Drosophila suzukii

Authors: Cha, Dong; ROH, GWANG - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); HESSLER, STEPHEN - Cornell University; WALLINGFORD, ANA - Cornell University; STOCKTON, DARA - Cornell University; Park, Shinyoung; LOEB, GREG - Cornell University

Submitted to: Pest Management Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2020
Publication Date: 11/25/2020
Citation: Cha, D.H., Roh, G.H., Hessler, S.P., Wallingford, A., Stockton, D., Park, S.K., Loeb, G.M. 2020. 2-Pentylfuran: A novel repellent of Drosophila suzukii. Pest Management Science. 77(4):1757-1764. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6196.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6196

Interpretive Summary: Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a serious invasive pest of berries and cherries worldwide. Insecticides are currently the primary strategy for managing SWD damage. It is imperative to develop alternative management approaches such as behavioral control. Researchers at USDA-ARS in Hilo, Hawaii and Cornell University have identified 2-pentylfuran as a novel repellent for SWD. It almost eliminated SWD attraction to a strong commercial attractant, and more importantly, reduced SWD oviposition on a preferred host fruit, raspberry, in the laboratory and field. 2-Pentylfuran is a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) compound and has great potential as a novel management tool to control SWD damage in susceptible crops through behavioral manipulation.

Technical Abstract: Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a major invasive pest of soft-skinned fruits in North America and Europe. Although insecticides are currently the primary method of controlling SWD damage, it is imperative to develop alternative management approaches such as behavioral control through the use of repellents and attractants. Here we report 2-pentyfuran as a novel repellent for SWD. Among 13 individual antennally-active compounds compared in a multiple-choice setting, 2-pentylyfuran was most effective at reducing SWD attraction (> 95%) to traps baited with a fermentation-based synthetic lure. Releasing 2-pentylyfuran at an unknown rate resulted in 30% reduction in SWD oviposition on raspberries in the field. Further tests in cage no choice assays revealed repellency of 2-pentylyfuran above 2.5 mg/h with greater repellency achieved at higher release rates. A controlled release rate of around 10 mg/h was achieved in a fume hood by releasing 2-pentylfuran from a polyethylene sachet, which was effective for over 60% reduction in egg-laying in semi-field cage choice experiments. In a final field experiment using fruiting raspberry clusters, 2-pentylyfuran, released at approximately 14 mg/h, was effective at reducing SWD infestations by 56% relative to control. These results demonstrate that 2-pentylyfuran acts as a repellent for SWD and can significantly reduce fruit infestations. Given that 2-pentylyfuran is a registered food additive with a mild odor, our results suggest it has great potential as a new management tool, alone or in combination with other tactics such as attract and kill, for controlling SWD damage in susceptible crops.