Kairomone-Based Control of Sesiid Borers in Peach Orchards

Project Overview

GS16-154
Project Type: Graduate Student
Funds awarded in 2016: $2,066.00
Projected End Date: 08/31/2017
Grant Recipient: University of Arkansas
Region: Southern
State: Arkansas
Graduate Student:
Matthew Hetherington
Email
Major Professor:
Dr. William Baltosser
Email
University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Fruits: apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, general tree fruits
  • Nuts: almonds
  • Additional Plants: ornamentals

Practices

  • Pest Management: field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management, traps

    Proposal abstract:

    Peach production in the United States was valued at $629.1 million in 2014.  The peachtree borer (PTB) (Synanthedon exitiosa) and lesser peachtree borer (Synanthedon pictipes), together, account for more damage to commercial peach production than all other arthropods combined.  In this study, we seek to identify the olfactory cues that mediate oviposition site selection in female PTBs and, utilizing this information, develop new chemical lures for monitoring and controlling Sesiid borers in peach orchards.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    The ultimate objective of this study is the development of new chemical lures that target female peachtree borers (PTB) (Synanthedon exitiosa).  This task requires three questions to be addressed:

    1. What compounds, in what proportions, induce host acceptance in PTBs?
      1. Profiling of volatile emissions of wounded peach bark.
      2. Behavioral assays.
    2. Can we develop volatile blends in the laboratory that are more attractive than naturally occurring stimuli?
      1. Is there a preference hierarchy?
      2. Cultivar/seasonal variation in emissions ratios.
      3. Wounded vs non-wounded bark.
    3. Is our lure effective in the field?
      1. Capture rates of kairomone lures (Peach volatiles)?
      2. Capture rates of pheromone lures (Commercially available)?

     

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.