IMPROVEMENT OF PHEROMONE SYNTHESIS FOR COMMERCIALIZATION TO MANAGE CUCURBIT PESTS

• Sponsoring Institution: Agricultural Research Service/USDA
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: USDA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0447049
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
• Project End Date: Oct 31, 2026
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CHEMVEDA LIFE SCIENCES
(CHEMISTRY AND BUSINESS DEV. USA)
CUPERTINO,CA 95014

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
(N/A)

Animal Health Component

60%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

60%

Developmental

20%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
211	0699	1040	10%
215	1199	1070	10%
216	1310	1100	10%
211	1429	1101	20%
216	1499	2000	10%
211	2110	1040	10%
215	4010	1070	10%
216	4030	1100	10%
215	1440	1130	10%

Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants; 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1310 - Potato; 1440 - Cole crops; 1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 2110 - Ornamental trees and shrubs; 1199 - Deciduous and small fruits, general/other; 4010 - Bacteria; 4030 - Viruses; 0699 - Trees, forests, and forest products, general; 1429 - Cucurbits, other;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology; 1101 - Virology; 1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1070 - Ecology; 1100 - Bacteriology; 2000 - Chemistry;

Keywords

pheromone

ipm

attract

and

kill

squash

bait

cucurbits

cucumber

beetles

vegetables

Goals / Objectives
ARS and cooperator are joint patent holders for pheromone synthesis for the striped cucumber beetle (specifically, vittatalactone). Objective is to improve and refine the synthesis so as to enable commercialization of the pheromone by other candidate companies making lures and to enable tactics to implement behavioral control in cucurbits and other vegetables.

Project Methods
In order to improve and refine the synthesis of for use as a tool in sustainable pest management, this collaboration will rely on the chemical synthesis expertise of Cooperator scientists, and the insect behavior and agricultural expertise of ARS scientists to test their preparations, using methods such as laboratory bioassays and field scale trapping studies.