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Chemical ecology for insecticide risk reduction
This project will develop the basis for new approaches to pest management using pheromones and other odourants, as well as other components of insect behaviour. Knowledge of the behavioural responses of key insect pests to attractants, arrestants and repellents is an essential part of insect pest management in horticultural crops. We will focus particularly on leafrollers, codling moth and thrips as important representative examples, although there will be research on other insects.
In particular, a range of chemicals from plant and insect origin will be compared for their relative insect attractiveness in the field, olfactometer and wind tunnel, while research on the electrophysiologically active components (gas chromatograph coupled to an electro-antennogram or single sensillum recorder on the insect) will help to identify the compounds with greatest potential. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry will be then used to identify unknown compounds, which will then be presented to the insects in synthetic form in behavioural assays and eventually trapping or direct control systems.
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