The Japanese beetle is a highly destructive pest of more than 400 plant species including fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, field and forage crops, and weeds. Since the first detection in the United States in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey in 1916, it has spread to many states east of the Mississippi River (except Florida), as well as parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Despite regulatory efforts, by 2002 it had become established in at least 30 states. Of the states in the southern region, climatologic studies predict that it will eventually establish in all states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Grubs (larvae) develop in the soil, feeding on the roots of various weeds and grasses, often destroying turf in lawns, parks, golf courses, and pastures. The insect has become the most widespread turf-grass pest in the United States. Efforts to control the larval and adult stages are estimated to cost approximately $460 million a year in management alone. Losses attributable to the larval stage alone have been estimated at $234 million per year; $78 million for control costs and an additional $156 million for replacement of damaged turf. Adults also feed on foliage and fruits of several hundred species of fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, and field and vegetable crops. Norway and Japanese maples, birch, crabapples, purple-leaf plums, roses, mountain ash, and linden are highly preferred ornamental hosts. While some woody plant species and cultivars have innate resistance against Japanese beetles, many economically-important plants can receive damaging levels of feeding and must be protected during Japanese beetle flight to prevent high levels of injury. Coleopteran pests are causing increased damage in fruit crops, as broad spectrum insecticides continue to be restricted through implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA, 1996) passed by the U.S. Congress. At the same time as pest pressure is increasing from beetle pests, few new products are being registered in food crops, and those that are tend to be lepidopteran- and homopteran-specific. The lack of beetle-active products is creating a gap in pest management programs, making the development of new beetle-active insecticides a priority to enable fruit growers to meet productivity and quality targets. The registration of Admire (imidacloprid) in strawberry and blueberry during 2003 has provided a potential new option for grub control in some minor fruit crops, but this is an expensive option, with very specific requirements for application timing. Development of alternative reduced-risk larval controls for these and other pests would greatly improve the ability of growers to reduce beetle populations in and around their fields, and would help prevent yield loss and reduce contamination risk. OBJECTIVES: Phase I technical objectives: Determine whether one or more selected formulations, when compared to a commercial product, is (are): a) as effective or more effective, when used as single applications and b) comparable or less cost to the grower and other end users. 1. Identify those combinations of fatty acid species and emulsifier that are most stable as formulation concentrates and as aqueous working solutions. 2. Determine efficacy of the most promising fatty/organic acid formulations from objective 1, against Japanese beetle egg and larvae and compare the performance of these formulations to an existing insecticide, in laboratory (in-vitro), greenhouse and field trials. 3. Calculate the end-user costs for promising insecticide formulations and characterize cost and performance characteristics and advantages attractive to end-users over existing insecticide. 4. Obtain comment and suggestions relating to Phase I data from trade associations and potential end-users. Other objectives will include: 1. Begin seeking a commercial licensee and partner for Phase II participation to continue intellectual property development and for additional testing and product commercialization (registration, marketing, distribution and sales). 2. Examine other crop systems affected by Japanese beetle such as horticultural crops and turf and determine feasibility of their inclusion for SBIR Phase II trials. APPROACH: Objective #1. Identify those combinations of selected fatty acid species, organic acid synergists and emulsifiers that are most stable as formulation concentrates and as aqueous working solutions in water. Insecticide formulations will include an active ingredient (AI), emulsifier and synergist, all of which will be GRAS compounds or approved for use on food crops pertaining to 40 CFR 180.1001 (Code of Federal Regulations) and have the best opportunity for USDA and OMRI approval as an organic AI. Other than issues of product safety, additional criteria for selection of formulation ingredients include cost, availability of bulk quantities of ingredients and compatibility of formulation ingredients. No less than 54 candidate insecticide formulations will be evaluated. Visual inspection for any signs of flocculation, precipitation or phase separation will be conducted to determine if ingredient combinations are: a) stable, homogeneous formulations as concentrates during at least 2 months of storage and b) stable as 0.30 and 3.0% dilutions of concentrates in water, without phase separation for up to one hour of storage. Objective 2: Determine efficacy of the most promising fatty/organic acid formulations from objective 1, against Japanese beetle egg and larvae and compare the performance of these formulations to an existing insecticide, in laboratory (in-vitro), greenhouse and field trials. Eggs and larvae of Japanese beetles will be generated from field-collected beetles by standard methods. Adult Japanese beetles will be captured in traps and established in containers filled with moist sand. Eggs will be removed and held in moist Petri dishes in a refrigerator until use in bioassays, or they will be placed in grassy soil and will be allowed to hatch to larvae. Larvae will be used once they have reached the first larval instar. Twelve formulations developed by Summerdale Inc. will be screened against eggs and larvae of Japanese beetle using 3 ml of the formulations at 0.1, 0.4 and 0.8% (v/v). Each treatment-concentration combination will be tested using twenty replicates of 10 eggs and 10 larvae placed in plastic Petri dishes on moistened filter paper discs, and assessed for mortality after 48 h. We will also test both life-stages in Petri dishes using the same methods but with moistened soil made of a 50:50 potting soil:sand mix. Average percent mortality values will be calculated and compared among formulations and rates for both life stages using standard statistical tests. Assays in the Petri dishes with and without soil will be analyzed separately. The four most promising formulations from the previous tests will be tested in field tests against Japanese beetles, each at four rates. These formulations will be tested against a standard field rate of the insecticide imidacloprid (16 oz/acre Admire), which is the current industry standard. Trials will be conducted in August and early September in irrigated turf at a blueberry farm in SW Michigan
