Research aims at baiting tarnished plant bugs

Airborne volatile compounds that attract plant-feeding insects to alfalfa could help growers control cotton pests with fewer pesticides, according to research announced today by USDA-ARS. Researchers have been investigating the influence of volatiles—or chemical scents—on the western tarnished plant bug (WTPB). The scientists' studies show that female WTPB are drawn to alfalfa volatiles and chemically manufactured synthetics that have most of the characteristics of natural chemical scents.

This information could be used to develop more effective field traps baited with volatiles.

Another study combined the chemical cues with a green-light-emitting diode (LED), which imitated a visual cue that attracts plant-feeding insects. Alone, the LED drew several females, but when combined with volatile or synthetic cues, it attracted both males and females at all stages of maturity. In some tests, the LED-synthetic compound combination drew positive responses of 80 percent or higher.

Click here for the full press release.