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Mission of CMAVE

Mission of CMAVE. The Center conducts research aimed at reducing or eliminating the harm caused by insects to crops, stored products, livestock and humans.

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Mission of CMAVE

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  1. Mission of CMAVE • The Center conducts research aimed at reducing or eliminating the harm caused by insects to crops, stored products, livestock and humans. • Research is directed not only at the insects themselves but at pathogens they may transmit and at identifying inherent protective mechanisms in plants.

  2. Chemistry This Research Unit investigates the chemical, biochemical and physiological factors that regulate insect behavior and the interaction of insects with plants and other organisms in the environment

  3. Chemistry Research Unit. • Mission – investigates the chemical, biochemical and physiological factors that regulate insect behavior and the interaction of insects with plants and other organisms in the environment. • Research Approaches – research focus is on identification, synthesis, biochemistry and behavioral analysis of semiochemicals that affect and influence insect behavior and physiology

  4. Keys to Success. • No single approach will result in effective control of a pest population. • Ask simple questions. • Know the system you are working in – know the insect inside and out. • Dwell on your strengths develop effective collaborations to overcome weaknesses.

  5. Insect Chemistry Research Unit: major project areas: • Endogenous regulation of sexual maturity and sexual communication in pest insects.

  6. Improving Efficacy of SIT by incorporation of Hormone and Dietary Supplements into Adult Holding Protocols

  7. Males Require Several Days to Begin to Release Sex Pheromone or to Mate.

  8. Mated Males Remated Much More Rapidly than did Virgin Males of the Same Age

  9. Mated Females Released 2X More Pheromone

  10. In the Tephritid Fruit Flies • Both sexes require several days to become reproductively mature. • This is similar to cockroaches and moths which have a period of reproductive diapause. • In both moths and cockroaches Juvenile Hormone regulates reproductive development!

  11. We Hypothesized that: • Juvenile Hormone levels changed after mating. • In young flies this resulted in improved sexual signaling and increased the probability that a male would mate. • That Juvenile Hormone was the pivotal hormone regulating coordination of reproductive development with sexual signaling.

  12. Needed to identify JH from the blood of adult flies. Needed to show that JH levels were different in Mated and Virgin flies of the SAME age. To Determine if Juvenile Hormone was involved we:

  13. Two Juvenile Hormones have been Proposed to Function in Diptera • Juvenile Hormone III is well documented to act in all insects.

  14. We Identified Both JH III and JH III Bisepoxide from Hemolymph

  15. Hemolymph from Mated Males Contained Significantly More JH than That from Virgins

  16. We Applied Juvenoids Topically

  17. Application of JH on Day 5 Induced Greater Pheromone Production on Day 6!

  18. Application of Juvenile Hormone to Sterile Males Induced All Males to Mate Much Earlier.

  19. Potential Use of Knowledge of Endocrine Regulation of Reproduction for Pest Control • Improvement of Efficacy of SIT Programs. • Incorporation of Analogs into Mass Rearing Programs or Release Protocols to Induce Sterile Males To undergo Accelerated Reproductive Maturity.

  20. Improving Efficacy of SIT • For Tephritids that require 7-12 days (Mexican, West Indian, Caribbean) to become sexually mature adding hormone to adult holding protocols is effective.

  21. Hormone Therapy • Will it be effective for Med Flies? • The reason I ask is that Med Flies are not supposed to need 7-10 days to become sexually mature!

  22. Hormone Therapy to Improve Efficacy of SIT for the Medfly!. • Studies using the single sex strain of males from Guatemala. • Females from the mixed sex strain in Guatemala. • We thank the folks in Guatemala for support!

  23. Effect of Topical Application of Hormone to Pupae 24h before Eclosion

  24. Effect of Topical Application of Methoprene to Eclosed Adult Males on Calling

  25. Two Day Old Male Medflies Released More Than Twice the Pheromone as Control Males Released

  26. Treated Medflies Released Pheromone Earlier than Control Flies!

  27. Feeding Methoprene to Flies • Can we feed a water soluble formulation to adult flies and induce accelerated reproductive development?

  28. Feeding Methoprene to Flies • Methoprene used is a water soluble commercial formulation - “Nevweb igr 200” • We are now testing a commercial formulation from Wellmark International and thank them for providing the formulation! • Currently we incorporate 0.05% methoprene in diet.

  29. Feeding Hormone to Males in the 3:1 Sugar:Protein Dry Diet Induced Males to Call Much Earlier.

  30. Development of Delivery Technologywith Caribbean Flies • We began to assess delivery of hormone by incorporation of Methoprene, the JH mimic having the best overall activity, into AGAR-SUGAR food blocks. • However, we encountered a significant problem with the AGAR-SUGAR diet in tests using the Caribbean Fruit Fly!

  31. Flies Fed the AGAR Diet WereMuch Less Attractive that Flies Fed the Dry Diet!

  32. Diet Studies • Clearly diet has an effect on Sexual Signaling by Male Caribbean Fruit Flies. • Dry Diet Studies: Optimal Diet (3:1 Sugar to Protein Hydrolysate). • What is important?

  33. Dry Diet Study: Does Feeding Protein Increase Pheromone Release?

  34. Dry Diet Study: Does Feeding Protein Improve Attraction?

  35. Percent of Capture in Traps Emitting Pheromone from males fed Different Percents of Protein in Agar/Sugar blocks

  36. Hormone Therapy to Improve Efficacy of SIT for Tephritid Fruit Flies (Now the Medfly!).

  37. Med Flies Fed Agar Sugar Diet(Control Diet)

  38. Addition of 10% Protein to Agar Sugar Diet

  39. Effect of adding Hormone to Sugar Agar and Protein Diet A

  40. Effect of Hormone + Protein in Sugar Agar Diet on Female Capture

  41. The Overall Benefits are Greater than the Sum of Each Improvement!

  42. Insect Chemistry Research Unit: major project areas: • Tritrophic interactions among insect herbivors, plants and insect predators/parasites.

  43. Harnessing Plant Defenses • Plants are capable of defending against insect herbivores and pathogens • Direct and indirect defense can be formidable • Understanding plant defensive mechanisms will lead to: • More sustainable effective management of insect pests and pathogens

  44. 100 90 80 70 Time (%) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Undamaged plants Damaged + Undamaged plants 100 90 80 70 Oviposition (%) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Undamaged plants Damaged + Undamaged plants

  45. White Mold on Peanut Plant

  46. Leaf Area Consumed (%) Feeding by Spodoptera exigua larvae on leaves from healthy and white mold-infected peanuts

  47. Insect Chemistry Research Unit: major project areas: • Identification of new attractants for insect pests (Small Hive Beetle, Parasitoids, Tephritid Fruit Flies).

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