Project Number: 5320-22430-025-02
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 31, 2011
End Date: Sep 30, 2015

Objective:
1) Identify behaviorally active semiochemicals for invasive insect species such as the coffee berry borer and the coconut rhinoceros beetle and other invasive pests to be determined in collaboration with cooperator. 2) Synthesize the pheromones and other semiochemicals as needed and validate attractiveness in lab and field bioassay. 3) Identify optimal ways to utilize identified behaviorally active semiochemicals such as early detection and/or mass-trapping. 4) Develop systems approaches against fruit flies that allow movement from quarantine areas.

Approach:
Our approach is to collect authentic pheromones from live ‘calling’ females and/or clipped abdominal tips and or plant kairomones from host plants and using headspace collection and or tip extraction to identify the chemicals present using GC-MS. Electrophysiological studies will be employed to identify biologically active constituents using GC-EAD on insect antenna. Those with activity will be tested and formulated for testing in a flight tunnel bioassay or other laboratory apparatus and if possible in the field. Next the pheromone and/or semiochemical will be synthesized and lures used to conduct field evaluations. Specifically, we would like to correlate capture of targeted invasive species to field populations and damage levels in the different cropping systems unique to Hawaii. Lastly we hope to use semiochemicals in potential control tactics. Identify and deploy systems approaches for fruit flies.