The present invention relates to devices, compositions and methods for insect control, more particularly the present invention relates to multicomponent compositions used in combination with devices for releasing said composition, and devices employing said composition for attracting, trapping and/or monitoring insects, more particularly Carpophilus beetles, such as stone fruit beetle and almond beetle.
The current commercial lure used in “attract and kill” for the stone fruit beetle is composed of (i) a chemical blend derived from fermenting fruit odours (commonly referred to as a ‘co-attractant’) applied in solution and (ii) a three-species synthetic aggregation pheromone mix (C. davidsoni, C. mutilatus and C. hemipterus) loaded on a rubber septum. These two odours work synergistically to attract the beetle.
The original co-attractant was developed based on fermenting peach juice, and comprises six constituents: acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, ethanol, isobutyl alcohol, isopentyl alcohol and 2-methylbutanol prepared in aqueous solution. This co-attractant mixture has been shown to be effective against a wide range of Carpophilus beetles attacking stone fruits.
However, lure longevity of the current co-attractant has proved to be problematic, with emission rates of some key attractants dropping off in some instances within a day after lure deployment in the field. Targeting specific beetle species has also been shown as an issue, as generalised compositions may not achieve the desired results to attract and kill insects of a particular species, and thereby showing a reduced efficacy in protection of said crop.
There exists a need to overcome, or at least alleviate, one or more of the difficulties or deficiencies associated with the prior art.
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a composition for attracting Carpophilus beetles, said composition including:
By the term ‘composition’ as used herein is meant a mixture of additives which may be in the form of a liquid, gas, vapour or any other suitable phase mixture thereof which is capable of attracting Carpophilus beetles.
In a preferred embodiment the co-attractant mixture includes one or more compounds selected from:
In a preferred embodiment the composition further includes one or more fungal additives. By the term ‘fungal additive’ as used herein is meant any compound that is identical to a compound that a fungus is capable of producing. A fungal additive included in the composition described herein may be isolated or collected from a fungus, or be a synthetic copy and/or analogue thereof. For example, the compound may be a small organic molecule, say an alcohol, ester, or one of a mixture of volatiles. In a further preferred embodiment, the one or more fungal additives are identical to compounds produced by a yeast, preferably a yeast of the genus Wickerhamomyces, Pichia or Hanseniaspora and more preferably a yeast of the species Wickerhamomyces rabaulensis, Pichia kluyveri or Hanseniaspora guillermondii. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the one or more fungal additives are volatile organic compounds, preferably selected from the group consisting of isobutyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, 2-phenylethylpropionate, and 2-phenethyl acetate.
The amount of any given fungal additive in the composition may vary and may be dictated by the particular application at hand and the identity of the compound. However, generally, speaking, in a preferred embodiment the composition includes one or more fungal additives at a concentration of between approximately 0.001 μl and 250 μl/100 ml of composition, preferably between approximately 10 μl and 100 μl/100 ml.
For example, in preferred embodiments where the one or more fungal additives are selected from the group consisting of isobutyl acetate, isopentyl acetate and 2-phenethyl acetate, the amount of fungal additive in the composition may be selected from:
In a preferred embodiment, the fungal additive(s) and co-attractant mixture are present in the composition at a ratio of between approximately 1:2 and 1:100 (v/v); more preferably between approximately 1:2 and 1:8 v/v.
The ethanol may be present in its neat form or with a releasing carrier. The carrier may be for example a solid, semi-solid or liquid. For example, the carrier may be aqueous, such that the ethanol is present in an aqueous mixture. In a preferred embodiment, the composition includes ethanol in an aqueous ethanol mixture. In a further preferred embodiment, the aqueous ethanol mixture comprises between approximately 30 to 85% ethanol, more preferably between approximately 35 to 65% ethanol, and most preferably approximately 45% ethanol.
By the term ‘aqueous’ as used herein is meant a water-based solvent, preferably including at least approximately 40% water, preferably distilled water, and may include other water-soluble or -miscible components.
In an alternatively preferred embodiment, the releasing carrier is a solid or semi-solid, preferably a matrix or gel. Preferably, the composition includes ethanol present in a gel.
In a preferred embodiment, the Carpophilus beetle may be a stone fruit beetle or almond beetle. In a particularly preferred embodiment the Carpophilus beetle is of a species selected from the group consisting of Carpophilus davidsoni, Carpophilus hemipterus, Carpophilus humeralis, Carpophilus truncatus “almond beetle” (synonymous with Carpophilus jarijari and Carpophilus near dimidiatus).
The present inventors have found that a composition which contains ethanol and isopentyl alcohol selectively attracts Carpophilus truncatus (almond beetle) species beetles over other Carpophilus species beetles.
Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment the present invention provides a composition including ethanol and isopentyl alcohol which selectively attracts C. truncatus over other Carpophilus species. In a further preferred embodiment there is provided a composition including ethanol and isopentyl alcohol which selectively attracts C. truncatus over other Carpophilus species, wherein the concentration of isopentyl alcohol is between approximately 0.01 μl and 1750 μl/100 ml of composition, more preferably wherein the concentration of isopentyl alcohol is between approximately 400 μl and 1500 μl/100 ml of composition, most preferably wherein the concentration of isopentyl alcohol is approximately 800 μl/100 ml of composition.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a composition for attracting Carpophilus beetles, said composition including acetaldehyde, ethanol, ethyl acetate, isobutanol, isopentyl alcohol, 2-methyl-butanol and 2-phenylethyl acetate.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a composition for attracting Carpophilus beetles, said composition including acetaldehyde, ethanol, isobutanol, isopentyl alcohol, 2-methyl-butanol, isopentyl acetate and isobutyl acetate.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a composition for attracting Carpophilus beetles, said composition including acetaldehyde, ethanol isobutanol, isopentyl alcohol and 2-methyl-butanol, and wherein said composition does not include ethyl acetate.
The compositions as described herein do not exclude addition of further additives or excipients for producing a composition, apparatus or deceive suitable for attracting trapping or monitoring stone fruit beetles.
In another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for dispensing a composition as described herein. In a preferred embodiment the apparatus provides for regulated release of the composition. In a particularly preferred embodiment the apparatus provides for regulated release of the composition for between approximately 1 to 6 weeks, more preferably between approximately 1 to 4 weeks.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided an apparatus for dispensing a composition as described herein, wherein the apparatus includes:
By a deposit element as used herein is meant any suitable substance in which the composition can be stored and released from. In an embodiment, the deposit element may be a cotton roll/dental wick or any other such substance suitable for storage and release of the composition.
By a casing as used herein is meant any suitable substance capable of storing the deposit element, such that it is capable of allowing for release of the composition stored within the deposit element to the surrounding environment external to the casing. The release of said composition from the casing may be either passive or active.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus provides for each compound, of the composition as described herein, to be is stored within a separate deposit element.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus as described herein includes a casing made of low density polyethylene. Preferably the casing is made of low density polyethylene having a thickness of between approximately 25 μm to 250 μm, more preferably between approximately 35 μm to 225 μm. In a particularly preferred embodiment the casing is made of low density polyethylene having a thickness of between approximately 50 μm to 200 μm.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided an apparatus for attracting Carpophilus beetles, said apparatus including:
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a device for trapping Carpophilus beetles, said device including a composition as described herein.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a device for trapping stone fruit beetles, said device including an apparatus as described herein.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a method of attracting and/or trapping stone fruit beetles including the step of exposing a Carpophilus beetle infested environment to a composition, apparatus, and/or device as described herein.
In a preferred embodiment there is provided a method of monitoring for the presence of at least one stone fruit beetle including positioning a composition, an apparatus, or a device as described herein, within an environment that requires monitoring for the presence of stone fruit beetles.
In this specification, the term ‘comprises’ and its variants are not intended to exclude the presence of other integers, components or steps.
In this specification, reference to any prior art in the specification is not and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably expected to be combined by a person skilled in the art.
The present invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying Examples and drawings. It should be understood, however, that the description following is illustrative only and should not be taken in any way as a restriction on the generality of the invention described above.
The original co-attractant was developed based on fermenting peach juice, and comprised six constituents: acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, ethanol, isobutyl alcohol, isopentyl alcohol and 2-methylbutanol prepared in aqueous solution according to the method described by Bartelt and Hossain 2006.
The release rates of co-attractant components formulated in low density polyethylene (LDPE) sachets were investigated (
The release rate and theoretical longevity of the lure constituents in sachets were tested in gravimetric experiments. Data were used to determine the optimal sachet thickness, size (surface area) and estimated longevity of individual components (
A fixed volume (1 ml) of each lure constituent was individually loaded in 50 cm 2 of different thicknesses (50, 100, 150 and 200 μm). Sachets were weighed daily for the first 5 days and later at greater time intervals. Release rates of the compounds through different sachet thicknesses were inferred using sachet weight loss over time (
Of all compounds, only ethanol could not be formulated in sachets. Lab experiments showed that the maximum release rate achievable with thin sachets was in the 25 mg/day range; about a hundred times less than ethanol emission rates in the commercial lure (2.5 g/day). In addition, the results of pilot testing under laboratory conditions suggest that equal emission rates and longevity could be achieved using ethanol gel instead of ethanol in solution.
The similarity between the solution and sachet version of the co-attractant was confirmed by Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling and GC-MS-FID analysis. (
Lures in sachets were tested in an almond orchard in a trial that initially aimed to compare the attraction of the nut beetle C. truncatus to the commercial (stone fruit beetle) co-attractant, formulated in solution and sachets. However, as populations of stone fruit beetles (both C. davidsoni and C. hemipterus) were also present, this enabled data on sachet effectiveness to be collected for these species.
Lures were tested in black funnel traps (23×17 cm, Bioglobal, Queensland, Australia), held in a metal ring fixed to a metal fence picket at 1.5 m height. A piece of insecticide (3×2 cm, dichlorovos) impregnated plastic strip was placed inside the traps to kill captured beetles. 200 ml of commercial lure or 45% ethanol (used with sachets) solutions was placed in open plastic containers (11.0 cm diameter) covered with mosquito netting. Sachets were suspended inside the traps by means of paperclips. Traps baited with different lures were arranged in a randomized block complete with a minimum of 30 m spacing between traps. Traps were serviced, trapped beetles collected, and lures replaced, weekly.
Over a two-week period, the sachet lures caught significantly more beetles than the same lure formulated in solution. C. hemipterus made up the vast majority of the beetles caught, with few C. davidsoni present in traps. C. hemipterus, prefers decaying fruits and is therefore considered more a nuisance than a pest. By contrast, C. davidsoni attack ripening fruits and cause significant crop damage. Both species are known to be strongly attracted to the carpophilus lure. The predominance of C. hemipterus in this specific trial may reflect an existing bias in the resident beetle population in the almond orchard.
The useability and effectiveness of the co-attractant formulated in sachets was field tested in December 2019 at two almond orchards located near Mildura, Victoria. A freshly prepared co-attractant solution was used as a control (i.e. no dispensers), and ethanol was dispensed in different ways across treatments, i.e. in plastic vials, in solution or both. Traps were arranged in a 6×4 randomized complete block design replicated at both sites (n=12). Beetles were collected and the lures replaced after one week.
Stone fruit beetles are often found in almond orchards in spring. The trial aimed to test lure effectiveness with the nut beetle C. truncatus, with the results revealing an impact of the sachets on the stone fruit pests, C. davidsoni, C. hemipterus and C. humeralis catches.
Our laboratory studies investigating the influence of yeasts on carpophilus oviposition and larval development suggest that fruit microbiome plays a crucial role in beetle survival: C. davidsoni pupal mass, survival to adulthood was found to be greater on fruit media inoculated with Pichia kluyveri and their development time shorter compared to when the same medium was inoculated with Hanseniaspora guillermondii; another yeast isolated from the guts of wild caught beetles (Baig et al. 2020).
Beetle attraction to yeast volatiles was tested in a stone fruit orchard in Bunbartha (Northern Victoria). Volatiles were applied in the form of high-density yeast cultures of the two gut-associated yeasts P. kluyveri and H. guillermondii prepared in a potato dextrose broth, while a sterile potato broth was used as procedural control. Twenty replicates of each treatments placed in McPhail traps with a cube of insecticide were hung in trees in randomized transects with a 7 m minimum distance between traps. Beetles were collected and yeast broth was replaced weekly.
In line with lab performance studies, traps baited with P. kluyveri attracted significantly more beetles than those baited with H. guillermondii and sterile broth (
P. kluyveri and H. guillermondii volatiles were collected and analysed by GC-MS. Statistical analysis indicated that 70% of the dissimilarity between the two yeast odours was linked to two chemicals: Isopentyl acetate and 2-phenylethyl acetate.
C. davidsoni sensitivity to the different compounds present in the odour of the attractive yeast P. kluyveri was tested using gas-chromatography coupled with electroantennography (GC-EAD). In total, 14 compounds elicited consistent responses with C. davidsoni (
Synthetic blends consisting of the combination of the existing carpophilus lure with two new potential yeast attractants; namely Isopentyl acetate and 2-phenylethyl acetate; were formulated based on their respective ratio to ethyl acetate (Table 2) and tested in the field.
Field trials were conducted in a peach orchard in Invergordon (Victoria). Treatments included the original carpophilus lure (CL: control), the original lure combined with Isopentyl acetate (CL+IA) or with 2-phenylethylacetate (CL+2PA) or both (CL+IA+2PA). Six replicates of each odour blend were placed in black funnel traps held on pickets at 1.5 m height, arranged in randomized transects. Beetles were collected and synthetic blends replaced weekly over a 5-week period.
These compounds were tested either separately or together in the existing Carpophilus co-attractant and compared with the original co-attractant in the field. The trial was conducted over a five week period during which the beetles were collected and the lure solutions renewed weekly. The lure compositions investigated are described in Table 2.
Carpophilus Lure
Carpophilus Lure +
Carpophilus Lure +
Carpophilus lure +
The co-attractant to which the yeast compound 2-phenethyl acetate was added was observed to result in the capture of significantly more beetles than the original co-attractant alone (
Studies determining optimal sachet size and thickness, lure concentration, release rates and lure longevity were performed as described in Table 3. Results showed that 2-phenethyl acetate is suitable for dispensing in sachets and longevity can be extended to over 70 days.
The commercially available carpophilus co-attractant exhibits some degree of attraction to C truncatus under laboratory and field conditions. The effect of volatiles within the existing co-attractant was therefore investigated in laboratory conducted bioassays (
Fifty beetles were simultaneously exposed to a solution of co-attractant (control) and a solution of co-attractant from which one additive at a time was suppressed (treatments, see table 4). The attraction index was calculated as follows: (number of beetles in test solution—number of beetles in control)/(total number of beetles). Hence, positive indices indicate preferences for the test solution whilst negative indices indicate preference for the control (original carpophilus co-attractant) (
Cage experiments demonstrated that the commercial co-attractant was significantly less attractive in the absence of ethanol and Isopentyl alcohol which appear to be the main attractants. In addition the co-attractant was significantly more attractive in the absence of 2-methylbutanol thus demonstrating its repellent effect. Acetaldehyde did tend to act as an attractant though this could not be clearly demonstrated in subsequent experiments whilst ethyl acetate and isobutyl alcohol seem to not influence beetle's orientation. Hence, the co-attractant chosen for testing in the field consisted of a reduced version of the commercial attractant comprising only Isopentyl alcohol in 45% ethanol.
Further cage bioassay experiments showed that increased concentrations of Isopentyl alcohol contribute to an increase in lure efficacy. Therefore, different concentrations of this compounds were tested in the field.
As co-attractants are derived from microbial odours, beetle attraction towards yeast odours isolated from the insect's gut was tested (Farrukh Baig, PhD thesis, 2020). The results demonstrated that C. truncatus is strongly attracted to the odour of the yeast Wickerhamomyces rabaulensis. Chemical analysis of the yeast headspace revealed strong similarities in composition with the commercial co-attractant. However, components occurred at ratios differing from those of the commercial solutions, and in addition other candidate attractants were identified by electrophysiological techniques (GC-EAD) (
The headspace odour of W. rabaulensis was observed to comprise almost all the compounds from the co-attractant except ethyl acetate. In addition, Isopentyl acetate and isobutyl acetate accounted for a significant part of the odour profile and elicited strong antennal responses from beetles.
A synthetic blend of the observed composition was used for field testing at low and high (×30) concentrations (See Example 10). The effect of the two esters was tested in the yeast blend formulation and also in combination with the commercial co-attractant in two separate trials (See Examples 9 and 10).
In the first field trial, the reduced version of the commercial attractant was evaluated both in solution and in its sachet version, with each treatment being replicated 12 times (6 reps at two field sites). The commercial formulation of the co-attractant (CL) was used as a control (Table 5).
It was observed that traps baited with Isopentyl alcohol prepared in 45% ethanol caught significantly more C. truncatus beetles compared to the commercial co-attractant. In addition, the number of non-target species individuals was significantly lower than with the original solution (
In a subsequent trial, the reduced co-attractant was assessed using a higher concentration of Isopentyl alcohol. The best performing solution in the previous trial was, this time used as control (Table 6). Treatments were replicated 12 times in total (6 reps in two field sites).
There was no significant difference observed between the reduced co-attractant and the reduced co-attractant containing a higher concentration of Isopentyl alcohol. However, there appears to be a clear trend for greater catches with the more concentrated lure (
In another trial conducted in almond orchards the simplified co-attractant was tested at different ethanol concentrations and confirmed 45-50%, corresponding to that of the original co-attractant, as optimal (see Table 7 and
Synthetic blends of the attractive yeast W. raubulensis were assessed at two different concentrations: a concentration that corresponds to natural volatiles emissions of cultured yeasts (Wr low) and a more concentrated blend adjusted to match the ethanol concentration of the co-attractant whilst preserving the ratios of other components of the blend (Wr high). In a last treatment, the two newly identified yeast esters (Isopentyl acetate and isobutyl acetate) were added to the original co-attractant (Table 8). Each treatment was replicated 12 times in total (6 reps in two field sites).
The two yeast blends demonstrated a trend for attracting more beetles than the original carpophilus lure (
A further field trial aimed to evaluate the influence of the two new esters on C. truncatus attraction in the W. rabaulensis yeast blend. Wr [high] treatment used in previous trial was tested with and without these esters and compared with the commercial co-attractant (CL) used as control (Table 9). Each treatment was replicated 10 times in total (5 reps in two field sites). The error bars represent the standard error.
The yeast-derived blend tended was observed to result in the capture of more C. truncatus and less of other beetle species than the original co-attractant (
The best yeast-derived blend and some variants of differing concentrations of ethyl acetate and esters were compared with the simplified co-attractant (comprising only ethanol and isopentyl alcohol) and simplified co-attractants combined to yeast esters (Table 10).
The simplified co-attractant (Ref) was observed to result in the capture of three to four-fold more C. truncatus than any other treatment (
The simplified co-attractant (“Ref”, including isopentyl alcohol and ethanol) and the original commercially available co-attractant solutions were tested in the presence of the commercial carpophilus pheromones (Table 11).
The simplified co-attractant was observed to increase by eight to ten times the capture of C. truncatus (
Different concentrations of isopentyl alcohol prepared in 45% ethanol were tested in a field trial to determine the optimal concentration to use in the simplified co-attractant (Table 12).
Co-attractant solutions in which the concentration of isopentyl alcohol was doubled (Ref×2) tended to catch more C. truncatus than the reference solution (Ref) and significantly more than the co-attractant in which the concentration of isopentyl alcohol was tripled (Ref×3) (
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020904575 | Dec 2020 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/AU2021/050240 | 3/17/2021 | WO |