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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203029

Title: Release of Oriental beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) pheromone from waxed-based granules under laboratory and field conditions

Author
item Behle, Robert

Submitted to: National Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2006
Publication Date: 12/10/2006
Citation: Behle, R.W. 2006. Release of Oriental beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) pheromone from waxed-based granules under laboratory and field conditions [abstract]. National Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Paper No. D0349.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Oriental beetle, Exomala orientalis Waterhouse, is a univoltine pest of turf, nursery plants, and fruit crops in the Northeastern United States as a result of larvae feeding on plant roots. Disruption of adult mating is considered a viable control option for this pest in turf grass, and specifically for golf courses. We hypothesized that granules made of low-melting soywax as a biodegradable formulation will provide four weeks of pheromone release, which is considered necessary for season-long mating disruption. Samples of formulations were prepared and evaluated in the laboratory to determine and compare release profiles of samples made using two production techniques and containing varied pheromone concentrations. Selected samples were applied to small plots of sod for up to four weeks, then collected to determine the pheromone concentration remaining after field exposure. Under laboratory conditions, pheromone release tended to follow expected profiles, and wax granules continued to release pheromone for over four weeks with granules containing higher initial concentrations releasing more pheromone. When exposed in the field, soywax granules were lost as a result of exposure to higher than expected temperatures in the sod and the apparent consumption by soil inhabiting arthropods. These results provide a basic understanding of the potential for soywax granules to provide season-long control as a result of mating disruption by controlled release of pheromone.