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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341049
Research Project: Methyl Bromide Replacement: Mitigation of the Invasive Pest Threat from the American Tropics and Subtropics

Location: Subtropical Horticulture Research

Title: Better detection of pest Euwallacea nr. fornicatus in Florida avocado groves using a two-component lure containing a-copaene and quercivorol.

Author
item Kendra, Paul
item OWENS, DAVID - Orise Fellow
item Montgomery, Wayne
item Narvaez, Teresa
item Schnell, Elena
item Tabanca, Nurhayat
item CARRILLO, DANIEL - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Florida Entomological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/2017
Publication Date: 7/18/2017
Citation: Kendra, P. E., D. Owens, W. S. Montgomery, T. I. Narvaez, E. Q. Schnell, N. Tabanca, and D Carrillo. 2017. Better detection of pest Euwallacea nr. fornicatus in Florida avocado groves using a two-component lure containing a-copaene and quercivorol. 100th Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society. Isla Verde, PR. 16-20 Jul 2017.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Asian tea shot-hole borer (TSHB), Euwallacea fornicatus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a pest of commercial tea, Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze. In recent years, several ambrosia beetles morphologically indistinguishable from TSHB have become established in Israel and the USA (CA, FL). Currently referred to as E. near fornicatus, members of this cryptic species complex carry symbiotic Fusarium spp. fungi that cause dieback disease in susceptible hosts, which includes avocado, Persea americana Mill. Although detected in Florida's commercial avocado groves in 2012, the beetle was not observed to cause major damage until the Spring of 2016, when large numbers were observed in a single grove, accompanied by significant branch dieback. In response to this elevation in pest status, research was initiated to study the chemical ecology of this pest, including evaluation of kairomone-based lures. Treatments included quercivorol (p-menth-2-en-1-ol, the current standard for E. nr. fornicatus detection in the US), 50% a-copaene (the best lure for Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, another ambrosia beetle that attacks avocado, and the principal vector of laurel wilt), a combination of the two lures, and an unbaited control. In multiple field tests, the copaene lure was found to be equally attractive as the quercivorol lure, and the combination of copaene and quercivorol resulted in either additive or synergistic attraction. Electroantennography confirmed olfactory chemoreception of both volatiles, with a higher response elicited with the combination. Results indicate that improved detection of pest E. nr. fornicatus in Florida can be achieved by using a 2-component lure consisting of a-copaene and quercivorol.