SBIR-STTR Award

The goal of this USDA NIFA phase I project is to develop a semiochemical lure and phagostimulant enhanced bait 'Snulex' for controlling snails and slugs (gastropods). This innovation will significantly improve the efficacy of molluscicide bait by increasing the chance of initial discovery of the bait by attracting gastropods and strongly inducing them to ingest lethal doses of molluscicide. Snails and slugs are destructive pests of horticultural and agricultural industries worldwide. Gastropod problems are becoming more significant because of the recent shift towards zero-tillage crops. Current management strategies rely mostly on molluscicide baitproducts. The molluscicide market was worth $711 million in 2021 and is forecasted to reach$900 million by 2026. However there are a number of limiting factors for an effective control strategy using current molluscicide bait products. One of the major factors hindering effective control of gastropods is the lack of a strong attractant lure to draw these pests away from hostplants. This project aims to-A) develop a semiochemical lure by reconstructing the odor from these attractive sources B) optimize the ability of the lure and phagostimulant blend to outcompete with alternative food sources available in the environment C) optimize the efficient delivery of the lure and phagostimulant blend in the toxic bait. We expect that gastropods will discover the proposed enhanced bait significantly faster and consume 3 times more than existingbaits. Our novel lure and phagostimulants will create highly effective technologies while simultaneously providing environmentally and economically favorable IPM strategies.