
Read: More
about the research in Agricultural Research magazine. Biodegradable Decoy Reduces Insecticide Use By Ben Hardin January 12, 2000A biodegradable decoy that
fatally attracts apple maggot flies or other insect pests has been
patented by Agricultural Research
Service scientists and cooperators. Hung in trees at the edge of orchards,
the spherical decoy--coated with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, latex enamel
paint and an insecticide--may provide an alternative to repeated chemical
insecticide sprays. If not controlled, 1/4-inch-long, black-and-white-striped adult apple maggot
flies can inflict millions of dollars in damage to orchards. They lay eggs just
below the apples skins. Maggots hatch and feed, creating tunnels through
the apples, which begin to decay and then drop to the ground. ARS scientists at the National Center
for Agricultural Utilization Research at Peoria, Ill., researched the decoy
with colleagues at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst; Michigan State
University at East Lansing; and the Biotechnology Research and Development
Corp. at Peoria. The decoy is designed to suit insects preferences for
color, shape, size and surface texture. Apple maggot flies fall for an
apple-size sphere painted black which, like a red apple, doesnt reflect
ultraviolet light. ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agricultures chief scientific research agency. Preliminary field tests showed the decoy maintained 70 percent of its
insect-killing power after three weeks in Massachusetts orchards. And in other
tests, a similar decoy protected apples as well as three applications of the
commonly used insecticide azinphosmethyl. Commercial manufacture and sales of the decoys containing registered
pesticides for use in the United States would require approval by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fruit Spheres Inc., Macomb, Ill., has agreed to produce decoys for
large-scale tests on the apple maggot fly and related insects such as the
blueberry maggot fly, the cherry fruit fly and the walnut husk fly. An article about the research appears in the January issue of ARS' Agricultural Research magazine.
Click here to
view it on the web. Scientific contact: Michael
R. McGuire, ARS, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research,
Peoria, Ill., phone (309) 681-6595, fax (309) 681-6693,
[email protected].
U.S. Department of Agriculture |