Volatile-based detection of the Coton Bollworm
The Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, feed on numerous crops of diverse plant families. Many crops of high economic importance are included in its host range, such as cotton, maize, tomato, sunflower, and several legumes, but also several ornamental plants. The adults of this moth are excellent flyers and can migrate over long distances up to 2000 km. The species can have 4-6 generations/year and up to 10-11 generations/year in tropical regions. The larvae are highly destructive plant feeders. The species can adapt rapidly to new environmental conditions, to optimize its survival. All these characteristics in their biology make the Cotton Bollworm a serious pest, quickly invading new areas. In the PurPest project we aim to develop a species specific volatile-based sensors to detect the Cotton Bollworm, for example during import of plant material in import containers. We perform volatile collections followed by chemical analyses of healthy and infested plants. We work with different host plants of the moth (tomato, sunflower, pea) and look for differences in the volatile profile of healthy plants versus plants infected by eggs or larvae of the Cotton Bollworm. The aim is to find a kind of marker volatiles, which are robustly associated wth our target pest, independent of plant species and other types of stress like the attack of other pests or environmental stressors (e.g. high/low temperature or water logging/drought). In this early stage of the project, we know already that volatiles released from eggs and feces of the larvae might be good candidates for pest detection.
Plant Pest Prevention through Technology-guided monitoring and site-specific control
Ongoing | 2023-2026
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- France, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Portugal, Czechia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain, Switzerland