High-tech Insect Traps, Cherry Breeding, Morrill Act

Automated Insect Traps Aim to Simplify Pest Detection

Insect traps can be an orchardist’s best friend, giving early notice of emerging threats to fruit. But they can also be a management headache. That is why Vince Jones, a scientist at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, is cooperating with experts in other organizations on the development of an automated insect trap that can capture and identify insects and relay the data to managers.

The current technology for insect traps is simple and effective. Targeted insects are enticed with a lure, typically a pheromone or floral fragrance. Insects that enter the trap are caught on the sticky inner surface. By detecting the insects before they cause damage, tree fruit growers can decide when and where to apply the most effective pest control measures.

The drawbacks come in deploying and checking the traps. A large orchard should deploy one trap per 2.5 to 5 acres, and then each trap should be checked weekly to identify any pests inside. With some orchards exceeding 1,000 acres, this weekly inspection turns into a monumental challenge. Finding the traps in an expanse of nearly identical trees becomes a rural scavenger hunt. Personnel and vehicle costs pile up. Then the results need to be compiled. Due to these difficulties, orchardists might only use half of the recommended traps, unfortunately reducing the quantity of data collected and the ability to make sound decisions.

Jones and his collaborators have been working on an automated insect trap featuring an electrical grid, a Global Positioning System receiver, and a radio transmitter. The lures are the same as used in conventional traps. Once the insect enters the trap, though, everything is different. Instead of getting stuck on glue, the insect hits an electrical grid composed of vertical metal rods hanging in a circle around the bait. The electricity stuns the insect, which drops into a capture container. The size of the insect and other physical characteristics, such as whether it has scales, hairs or a smooth body, all affect the electrical properties of the grid at the moment of contact, allowing the system to identify the insect as, for instance, a codling moth or an obliquebanded leafroller.

The trap then transmits the identity of the insect, along with the date and time of capture and location of the trap, to a nearby base station. The base station transmits the orchard’s trap information to an online mapping system that orchardists can log into to review pest activity. In addition to detecting emerging threats, the system can also pinpoint problems with current management practices. An increase in pest numbers could, for instance, signal a problem with pheromone emitters, a commonly used tool in pest control.

One of the challenges in the current project is to reduce power requirements. The system currently needs large, expensive batteries to operate. Researchers are working to reduce power consumption by only charging the grid during hours when the target species are likely to be active. They hope to eventually use a standard D-cell battery, which would limit trap maintenance visits to twice per growing season. They are also trying to improve the algorithm that determines the type of insect captured. Development on the trap is expected to continue for at least another two years.

Collaborators on the project include Drs. Johnny Park, Henry Medeiros, Anderson Nishimoto, and German Holguin of Purdue University, Dr. Larry Hull, and Brian Lehman of Pennsylvania State University and Callie Baker and Teah Smith of Washington State University.

-Bob Hoffmann

For more information on Vince Jones’ research, see the Insect Ecology & Behavior Laboratory website athttp://bit.ly/vincejones.

Breeding a Better Cherry

The little tree, as yet unnamed, looks very much like neighboring trees in cherry breeder Nnadozie Oraguzie’s research orchards near WSU’s Research and Extension Center in Prosser. But the cherries it produced this season created a huge stir among visiting cherry growers.

The cherries are very firm and large without chemical inputs, making them particularly attractive because growers normally apply growth regulator gibberellic acid to achieve such quality. The fruit also passed the taste test, striking the right balance between sweet and tart.While cherries on other trees showed cracks caused by rain, this tree’s fruit was unmarred, revealing an uncommon pre-harvest hardiness.

Finally, the new cultivar is “self-fertile,” meaning it can pollenate itself without the aid of bees or pollenizer trees. One of Oraguzie’s breeding objectives was to develop such a cultivar to reduce dependence on bee pollination and pollenizer varieties, as well as lower production costs.