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Trap Assays of the Walnut Twig Beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Reveal an Effective Semiochemical Repellent Combination

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Abstract

Thousand cankers disease (TCD), is an invasive insect-disease complex caused by the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis, and fungal pathogen, Geosmithia morbida. Semiochemical interruption is a viable option for protecting walnut trees from P. juglandis attack. The goal of this study was to test beetle responses to potential repellent compounds. The results of five, flight-intercept assays are reported. Assays 1–3 tested four compounds at variable release rates: (S)-(−)-verbenone, (R)-(+)-verbenone, racemic chalcogran, and racemic trans-conophthorin. Trapping results indicated that the highest release rate tested for each compound was the most effective in reducing the number of beetles caught. (S)-(−)-Verbenone was the least effective, reducing P. juglandis trap catches by 66%. (R)-(+)-Verbenone reduced the number of P. juglandis by 84%. Neither enantiomer of verbenone performed as well as chalcogran or trans-conophthorin, which both reduced the number of beetles caught by ca. 98%. Following individual assays, the most effective compounds were tested in subtractive-combination assays. Combinations of high release rates for (R)-(+)-verbenone, trans-conophthorin, and two stereoisomers of limonene (tested in a previous study) were tested in two assays. The subtractive-combination assays were inconclusive in that trap catches were similar across all treatments. All combination treatments were highly effective, achieving approximately 99% reduction in the number of beetles caught. Based on the trapping results, commercial availability, and cost of the semiochemicals tested, we conclude that a combination of (R)-(+)-limonene, trans-conophthorin, and (R)-(+)-verbenone constitutes an effective tool for reducing P. juglandis trap catches.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service through Grant 16-SCBGP-CA-0035 to RMB and SJS. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. We would also like to thank the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station for financial support. We thank Megan Siefker, Crystal Homicz, and Noah Christe (University of California Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology) for their assistance in the field and laboratory. We thank the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the USDA Agricultural Research Service for granting us access to the walnut germplasm field site. Finally, we thank ISCA Technologies Inc. for their generous donations of SPLAT® Verb (R+) and to ChemTica for their generous donation of the (S)-(–)-verbenone 5 mg/d release rate bubble pouches (custom made) for our field trials.

Funding

This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through Grant 16-SCBGP-CA-0035 to RMB and SJS.

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  1. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, 95618, USA

    Jackson P. Audley & Steven J. Seybold

  2. Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Richard M. Bostock

Author notes

  1. Steven J. Seybold is deceased. This paper is dedicated to his memory.

    • Steven J. Seybold
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  1. Jackson P. Audley
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Audley, J.P., Bostock, R.M. & Seybold, S.J. Trap Assays of the Walnut Twig Beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Reveal an Effective Semiochemical Repellent Combination. J Chem Ecol 46, 1047–1058 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-020-01228-9

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