Developing a baiting system for the Western corn rootworm based on floral scent components of the Styrian oil pumpkin

The Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is one of the most important maize pests in the Northern hemisphere. In Austria, it causes damage in all regions, where maize is an important crop. Recent and ongoing studies in Austria focus mostly on the damage and pest control of larvae, but not on adults. The control of adults by insecticide spraying is only possible with stilted tractors due to the height of the plants during the main flight season in July and August, and is therefore complex and expensive. Also, cross-farm spraying is important for the effectiveness of the treatment, as the “import” from adjacent maize areas can only effectively be reduced by spreading as much maize as possible. The development of new, less complex methods for beetle control is therefore an important step towards controlling the pest. In Austria we have the unique situation that maize is often alternately cultivated with the Styrian oil pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca), and thus, both crops grow in close vicinity. Female and male adult WMB are strongly attracted to flowers of the Styrian oil pumpkin and a study in 2011 and 2012 has demonstrated that Diabrotica lays, when compared to maize fields, an average of 30 % of the eggs in neighbouring oil pumpkin fields (Foltin & Robier 2014). By catching the beetles with suitable kairomone traps, the effectiveness of crop rotation can be increased. We will take advantage of the setting in Austria and develop an environmentally friendly pest management system based on flower volatiles of the Styrian oil pumpkin. We will identify those flower volatiles of the oil pumpkin that are responsible for attraction of WMB, and use these volatiles to develop suitable bait and trapping systems. This new control strategy will help farmers to protect their fields against this pest already in the adult stage. To reach our aim we will use a multidisciplinary approach, including electrophysiology, chemical analysis, and behavioral assays in the laboratory and field. This pest management system will be environmentally friendly and drastically reduce the amount of insecticides needed to control WMB in Austria. It will be cost effective and easy to be used by the farmers because of low technical requirements. After having proven the efficiency of our newly developed system, we aim to apply for a patent and register our development as a new plant protection product.

In collaboration with  Mag. Katharina Wechselberger,  Dr. Zsolt Zsolt Kárpáti,  ISCA

Barrierefreiheit: Kurzbeschreibung des Bildes