SBIR Phase I: Novel attractants for the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将为亚洲柑橘木虱（Diaphorina citri）提供更好的引诱剂。D.柑橘携带柑橘绿化病，因此是美国柑橘业面临的最严重的害虫。该害虫已经严重影响了佛罗里达的柑橘生产，已经进入得克萨斯州，并正在蔓延到加州，但由于缺乏用于诱饵站和陷阱的有效引诱剂，没有准确的方法来评估种群密度或范围。所描述的方法使用合理的设计来分离与关键木虱化学感受蛋白结合的化合物，然后鉴定那些能够吸引木虱的化合物。该项目结合了几种新的平台技术，包括用于快速鉴定与昆虫化学感受蛋白相互作用的分子的高通量测定系统。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是适用于开发具有经济、农业或医学意义的昆虫害虫物种控制产品的平台技术。目前没有木虱引诱剂;用于木虱的陷阱仅依赖于颜色，在收集可靠的种群密度或范围数据方面无效。利用有效引诱剂的诱捕器将有益于柑橘产业，因为它将产生在监测木虱和产生控制策略中有用的数据。主要的市场参与者包括目前的彩色粘性诱捕器制造商;然而，所提出的引诱剂可以并入这些诱捕器中，从而产生具有非常高的市场需求的高效最终产品。柑橘种植者已经表达了购买这种产品的浓厚兴趣。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will provide better attractants for the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. D. citri vectors citrus greening disease and is thus the most serious pest faced by the US citrus industry. The pest already has severely affected Florida citrus production, has entered Texas, and is spreading into California, yet no accurate means of assessing population densities or range exist due to a lack of effective attractants for use in bait stations and traps. The approach described uses rational design to isolate compounds that bind to critical psyllid chemosensory proteins, and then identifies those compounds capable of attracting psyllids. This project incorporates several novel platform technologies comprising a high-throughput assay system for rapidly identifying molecules that interact with insect chemosensory proteins.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project are platform technologies applicable to the development of control products for insect pest species of economic, agricultural, or medicinal significance. No psyllid attractant currently exists; traps used for psyllids rely solely on color and are ineffective in gathering reliable population density or range data. A trap utilizing an effective attractant would benefit the citrus industry since it would yield data useful in monitoring the psyllid and in generating control strategies. Key market players include the current manufacturers of colored sticky traps; however, the attractant proposed could be incorporated into these traps, creating a highly effective end product with a very high market demand. Citrus growers have already expressed their keen interest in purchasing such a product.