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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127574
Title: SYNTHESES AND BIOLOGICAL TESTS OF FLOURINATED AND SILYLATED ANALOGS OF RASPBERRY KETONE AS ATTRACTANTS FOR MELON FLY, BACTROCERA CUCURBITAE

Author
item CASANA-GINER, VICTOR - ARS POST-DOC
item Oliver, James
item Jang, Eric
item Carvalho, Lori

Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/5/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fruit fly attractants are important for control of these destructive pests, but even more imortant for monitoring possible introductions of fruit flies into areas where they do not currently exist. Traps baited with chemical attractants are the primary means of monitoring ports, borders, and other quarantine areas by APHIS and state and local inspectors. This paper addresses some limitations of a currently used chemical attractant, and attempts to overcome its principle limitation.

Technical Abstract: Since its discovery (Beroza et al. 1960), cuelure has been the only practical lure for male melon flies, Bactrocera cucurbitae. However, cuelure, the acetate of raspberry ketone, has limitations, most important of which is its limited volatility. Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center report the syntheses, outdoor rotatory olfactometer tests, and field tests of several analogs of raspberry ketone. Of the new compounds, only 4-(4-((trimethylsilanyl)oxy)phenyl) butan-2-0ne was highly attractive for male melon flies, statistically equivalent to cuelure in a field test. None of several fluorinated analogs of raspberry ketone was comparably active to raspberry ketone itself. The recently reported attractant zingerone did not show significant attractiveness (for males or females).