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Develop an effective and efficient delivery device for insect semiochemicals in specialty crops, and optimize mating disruption of citrus leafminer providing environmentally appropriate control of the leafminer and associated citrus canker disease. <P>
The end product will specifically enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by enhancing food safety (reduced need for chemical pesticides) and by providing a sustainable and organic method of pest and disease control.
APPROACH: We will design and manufacture a prototype semiochemical delivery device from biodegradable materials. We will then test and refine the device through field trials conduted by ARS in collaboration with the University of Florida. Field experiments will determine the appropriate parameters to optimize mating disruption of the citrus leafminer by measuring trap catch disruption in treatment plots receiving CLM pheromone in SPLAT-loaded devices.