Source: ISCA TECHNOLOGIES, INC. submitted to NRP
CBB REPEL: SAFEGUARDING THE PROSPERITY OF THE SMALL FARM HAWAIIAN COFFEE INDUSTRY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016736
Grant No.
2018-33610-28621
Cumulative Award Amt.
$600,000.00
Proposal No.
2018-03223
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2020
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[8.12]- Small and Mid-Size Farms
Recipient Organization
ISCA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
2060 CHICAGO AVE STE C2
RIVERSIDE,CA 92507
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
CBB Repel will help growers to protect their coffee crops from the most damaging coffee pest in the world, while promoting responsible environmental stewardship. If successful, CBB Repel will allow stakeholders who have been suffering with the scourge of this invasive CBB species, to reengage on the development of the healthy, prosperous, and energetic local communities centered on the small- and medium-scale coffee growers of the islands of Hawaii and around the world.
Animal Health Component
33%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
33%
Applied
33%
Developmental
34%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
21622321130100%
Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
2232 - Coffee;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
This Phase II project will develop a semiochemical repellent, CBB Repel, for coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, a major global pest of coffee. CBB destroys coffee crops by boring into the coffee berry to lay eggs, from which larvae emerge to feed on interior tissues of the berries, making them inviable for sale and allowing the opportunity for fungal pathogens to infect the crop, lowering economic profits even further. Secondary fungal infections might result in coffee with off-flavors and the chance of toxicant mycotoxins like carcinogenic aflatoxins. Unlike current CBB control methods, many of which require the use of traditional insecticides such as organophosphates and neonicotinoids, CBB Repel is composed of naturally occurring repellent compounds, incorporated into an organic, food-safe controlled release matrix, allowing for simple, quick application by manual or mechanical means. Phase I field trials of this formulation conducted in Brazilian coffee plantations revealed that the repellent formulation, applied with or without a companion insecticide treatment, consistently suppressed crop damage by CBB across all experimental areas. In all three plots with mid- to high-level CBB infestations, CBB Repel formulated in ISCA's SPLAT matrix demonstrated a clear ability to reduce damage to treated coffee crops better than the growers' standard pesticide treatment. In Phase II, ISCA will build on this work by developing another deployment method for CBB Repel's potent AIs: a slow-release pouch that can be placed by hand in coffee plantations. Phase II studies with CBB Repel pouches formulated at different concentrations will determine the AI emission rate and degree of chemical stability when deployed in this manner, to ensure that it matches that of the CBB Repel SPLAT formulation as closely as possible. Optimized formulations of both SPLAT and pouch formulations of CBB Repel will be applied in the field for studies in Hawaiian (pouch) and Brazilian (SPLAT) coffee farms dealing with CBB infestation, and the efficacy of the two products will be compared to standard control programs. Varying point source densities for each treatment will also be assessed during these trials, to determine the best rate at which to apply the product to maximize cost efficiency and field efficacy.
Project Methods
ISCA's goal for this project is to continue development of an optimal, low volume semiochemical solution for the effective management of CBB that can be easily applied with a backpack sprayer, caulking gun or a motorized quad vehicle to rapidly cover the target area. ISCA will also develop an alternate deployment method for the CBB Repel AIs consisting of a slow release pouch that can be manually placed in the field, allowing for an easy application that will retain its for throughout the required period. Specific tasks included in Phase II are as follows:Task 1. Development of a slow-release pouch encapsulation for CBB Repel. ISCA will develop the CBB Repel formulation into new pouch-type sachets, originally utilized with verbenone as the active ingredient for the control of mountain pine beetle.Task 2. Optimize release-rates and doses for CBB Repel pouch formulation. The new pouch formulations will undergo release rate and longevity trials to determine the optimal load of active ingredient to most closely match the performance characteristics of the CBB Repel SPLAT formulation. The best-performing pouch loading rate in this task will be carried over to Task 3.Task 3. Field repellency trial of CBB Repel pouch version in Hawaii. A repellency trial will be conducted in coffee fields in Hawaii with the collaboration of researchers at the University of Hawaii. The optimally loaded CBB Repel pouch, as determined in Task 2, will be tested at several point-source densities in plots of 2-3 ha in size over a growing season, with effect measured after harvest by measuring percent damage of the coffee fruit in comparison with a control field. The optimally performing point-source density treatment will be selected as the standard application rate for the new pouch version of CBB Repel.Task 4. Field repellency trial for CBB Repel SPLAT formulation in Brazil. The original CBB Repel SPLAT formulation developed in Phase I will be evaluated again in infested coffee fields in Brazil, this time with the aim of determining the optimal application density of point sources of the CBB-Repel SPLAT formulation. Three point source densities will be assessed, and the optimal will be determined post-harvest by comparing percent damage reduction in all fields.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Following completion of Phase II studies, ISCA will be able to provide small and mid-sized coffee farmers in Hawaii (collectively accounting for 800+ farms, 1-4000 acres in size) with products that can effectively suppress CBB damage to crops with either drastically reduced pesticide inputs, or no pesticide use at all, enabling growers to avoid the negative environmental effects, regulatory and resistance issues that have hindered CBB control in the past. The international market for CBB Repel is significantly larger, as coffee is grown in >80 developing countries and represents a $100 billion global industry. Changes/Problems:The original work plan intended to use pouch-type sachets for the trials in Hawaii, however, initial trials with pouches produced inconclusive results. Therefore, all trials for CBB Repel utilized SPLAT rather than pouches, and PIII commercialization will continue with this product alone. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Through the work conducted in the first Phase of this project, we have successfully established proof of concept for our proposed approach. Following the incorporation of our two repellent AIs, verbenone and methyl salicylate, into ISCA's patented controlled release matrix, SPLAT, we subjected the resulting CBB Repel formulation to field trials in Brazilian coffee plantations, where the application substantially reduced the rate of crop damage caused by CBB in fields with high (Area 4) and medium-level (Areas 1 and 2) infestation compared to standard insecticide treatment alone, with more modest reductions where infestation rates were low. CBB Repel treatment achieved reduction in crop damage with or without companion insecticide sprays, though in the case of the highly infested field, the combined CBB Repel + insecticide treatment produced stronger results. Furthermore, the fact that damage levels remained lower in CBB Repel-treated crops than in control crops throughout the study period (with the exception of the low-infestation site) is an encouraging indication that the formulation is capable of sustaining the desired field life even in tropical coffee-growing regions. Considering the damage reduction of up to 8% in our field trials, the financial implications of using CBB Repel to coffee growers are clear. The second phase of the project, with trials in Hawaii, again showed significant reductions in infestation levels. With an average price of ~$1.95/lb for raw coffee fruit in Hawaii, the average grower stands to save almost $2300/ha when using CBB Repel. The financial ramifications multiply as the product works its way up the processing chain, the effect being apparent to not only grower, but distributor and consumer alike.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several field trials have had to have been cancelled, and the project has been delayed by several months. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? With an average price of ~$1.95/lb for raw coffee fruit in Hawaii, the average grower stands to save almost $2300/ha when using CBB Repel. The financial ramifications multiply as the product works its way up the processing chain, the effect being apparent to not only grower, but distributor and consumer alike. In Phase II, ISCA will build on these successes by conducting further work on the CBB Repel SPLAT formulation to ensure that it sustains the release of its AIs at the necessary rate to achieve effective long-term control of CBB in coffee crops, and by submitting this optimized formulation to field trials in Brazil and in Hawaii.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? . 1;1 6;6 Through the work conducted in the first Phase of this project, we have successfully established proof of concept for our proposed approach. Following the incorporation of our two repellent AIs, verbenone and methyl salicylate, into ISCA's patented controlled release matrix, SPLAT, we subjected the resulting CBB Repel formulation to field trials in Brazilian coffee plantations, where the application substantially reduced the rate of crop damage caused by CBB in fields with high (Area 4) and medium-level (Areas 1 and 2) infestation compared to standard insecticide treatment alone, with more modest reductions where infestation rates were low. CBB Repel treatment achieved reduction in crop damage with or without companion insecticide sprays, though in the case of the highly infested field, the combined CBB Repel + insecticide treatment produced stronger results. Furthermore, the fact that damage levels remained lower in CBB Repel-treated crops than in control crops throughout the study period, December 2016-May 2017 (with the exception of the low-infestation site) is an encouraging indication that the formulation is capable of sustaining the desired field life even in tropical coffee-growing regions. Considering the damage reduction of up to 8% in our field trials, the financial implications of using CBB Repel to coffee growers are clear.

    Publications