SBIR-STTR Award

Losses resulting from gypsy moth in the northeast in 1981 alone were $764,000.000. This pest is dispersing to 500,000 acres per year into areas of its preferred food, the mid-Atlantic states. More than ten isolated infestations have been discovered throughout the United States, including California, Oregon, and Washington. Preliminary experiments in 1984 with a newly imported parasite, costesia melanoscela. Korean strain (hyimenoptera: braconidae), demonstrated extremely high rates of parasitism of gypsy moth larvae. This parasite is ideally suited for IPM programs because of its host specificity, synergistic response with bacillus thuringiensis, over wintering potential, and its protective silken 'halo' surrounding the over wintering cocoon. The limiting factors for the use of C. Melanoscela are high production costs and lack of release rate prescriptions. The objectives of this proposal are to reduce production costs by testing and selecting superior combinations of the following: parasite-host density, host and parasite age, and environmental conditions. Prescriptions for parasite release rates are developed from variable parasite: host density experiments conducted in outdoor insectaries and forested woodlots.

Keywords:
1. Food. nutrition. agriculture2. Animal models and veterinary medicine

The Phase I program demonstrated the feasibility to increase parasitoid effectiveness and reduce costs associated with mass production of the gypsy moth parasitoid, Cotesia melanoscela, Korean strain. Pre-conditioning of female parasitoids to hosts and host products was the most influential factor related to this result. This contributed to a 53% reduction in production costs. Pre-conditioning of females appears to be associated with kairomonal activity of the host, exuviae, frass, and/or larval silk. Several researchers have demonstrated or suggested that parasitoids of other pests can be manipulated in the field by the application of kairomones to parasitoids and to the target area. This research has significantly contributed to the success of those IPM programs. The Phase II program will attempt to increase the effectiveness of selected gypsy moth parasitoids by kairomonal and numerical manipulations. Bioassays will be conducted on insect and plant parts followed by extraction's of active sources. Active fractions will be used to condition parasitoids in laboratory and field cages. Parasitoid-host densities will be manipulated in field cages to determine the effect of numerical and kairomonal influence on parasitism rates. Cost reduction and increased rates of parasitism in the field would contribute to the success of gypsy moth IPM programs, a reduction in the use of chemical pesticides, and the success of the parasitoid production industry. The opportunity exists to mass-produce parasitoids as part of gypsy moth IPM programs. This national pest is spreading across the country and into Canada at about 500,000 acres per year. Currently, about 60 million acres are infested. This represents a potential need for several billion parasitoids per year. The National Gypsy Moth Management Group, Inc. is the only commercial source of gypsy moth parasitoids.