BACKGROUND
European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, is a very serious pest of grain corn, sweet corn, and other crops. O. nubilalis accounts for about 5.5 to 8.5 million tons of corn loss per year in Europe and other countries. Introduced to the United States in the 1900s, this pest accounts for 20% of yield loss in North America with damages estimated to exceed 1 billion USD annually. Unfortunately, the pesticides and insecticides used to control O. nubilalis are harmful to the environment, and the pest show resistance to them. Thus, there is an urgent need for an alternate method for pest control.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at OSU have conceived of an ecologically-friendly method to control the European corn borer. Lepidopteran (butterfly and moth) reproduction is initiated when females produce pheromones which the males detect through pheromone binding proteins in their antennae. The proposed method would employ the highest concentrated pheromone detection proteins to create anti-pheromone pouches, intervening with the detection system of male moths, preventing them from mating. While anti-pheromone pouches are currently available, they often attract multiple species of insects, causing collateral damage to pollinators or even protected insect species. Since this novel method relies on species-specific pheromones, the resultant product would not native species that play roles in pollination. Farmers could use these anti-pheromone pouches to prevent crop and revenue loss while producing chemical-free food and sparing the environment from harmful pesticides.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
MAIN ADVANTAGES
- User-friendly
- Highly species-specific
- Cost-efficient
- Eco-friendly
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT