Scaled-up Production and Validation of Fruit Midge Pheromones for Pest Management

蠓是危害水果生产的重要全球性害虫。目前对蠓的管理存在问题，主要是使用基于化石燃料的化学农药，对有益昆虫和更广泛的环境产生不利影响。2018- 2019年，全英国在1,034,565公顷的土地上使用了超过1.14吨的农药，通常是先发制人的，以控制小麦、黑加仑、覆盆子和梨作物上的蠓种群，仅在6,953公顷的梨作物上就使用了0.02吨农药。全球有一种日益增长的趋势，即在粮食生产中不再依赖化学农药，转而采用病虫害综合治理战略。农药药效下降、立法管制导致可得性减少以及与农药使用有关的环境问题推动了对IPM战略的需求。信息素是IPM策略的关键组成部分，但与其他作物害虫相比，目前市场上几乎没有水果蠓的信息素。该项目将在PheroSyn有限公司和Rothamsted研究（RRes）之间设计蚊子性信息素生产路线方面发展最新的技术进步。PheroSyn和RRes将首次开发基于绿色化学的生产路线，用于商业规模生产使用可再生原料的梨瘿蠓和梨叶蠓性信息素。信息素产品在捕获和监测水果生产系统中的蠓种群方面的功效将由Andermatt Biocontrol英国有限公司承担，该公司是信息素产品的领先供应商，通过该公司完善的网络向英国和欧洲大陆的最终用户（农民和种植者）提供信息素产品。随着生产能力和产品验证的实现，安德马特将从2023年开始将信息素用于水果生产系统。该项目建立了跨英国供应链（技术和产品开发-最终用户验证-制造-分销）的创新伙伴关系，将迄今无法获得的有需求的产品销售到农业综合企业部门，从而打破了长期建立的食品生产化学农药市场，有利于IPM战略。该项目将帮助PheroSyn和Andermatt加速业务增长，为世界各地的农民和种植者提供有效、持久、安全和负担得起的害虫管理工具。信息素用于水果害虫的气候智能型IPM，通过减少化学农药的生产和部署，以一种促进零碳农业的方式，生产价格合理、食用安全的食品，将为英国带来重大的社会和经济效益。

Midges are significant global pests of fruit production. Current management of midges is problematic, dominated by application of fossil-fuel based chemical pesticides that impact on beneficial insects and the wider environment detrimentally. In 2018-19 across the UK, over 1.14t of pesticide was applied, often pre-emptively, to an area of 1,034,565 hectares to control midge populations on wheat, blackcurrant, raspberry and pear crops, with 0.02t being applied to 6,953 hectares of pear crops alone. There is a growing global trend to move away from reliance on chemical pesticides in food production in favour of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. The need for IPM strategies is driven by loss in efficacy of pesticides, reduced availability due to legislative regulation, and environmental issues associated with pesticide use. Pheromones form a critical component of IPM strategies, but compared to other crop pests, there are virtually no fruit midge pheromones currently available on the market. This project will develop recent technological advances in designing production routes for midge sex pheromone production between PheroSyn Ltd and Rothamsted Research (RRes). PheroSyn and RRes will, for the first time, develop green-chemistry based production routes for commercial-scale production of the pear gall midge and pear leaf midge sex pheromones using renewable feedstocks. Efficacy of the pheromone products in trapping and monitoring midge populations in fruit production systems will be undertaken by Andermatt Biocontrol UK Ltd a leading supplier of pheromone products to end-users (farmers and growers) in the UK and to continental Europe through the company's well-established network. With production capacity and product validation achieved, Andermatt will market the pheromones for use in fruit production systems from 2023\.The project establishes an innovation partnership across a UK-based supply chain (technology and product development-end user validation-manufacture--distribution) for sale of hitherto-unavailable products that are in demand, into the agribusiness sector, thereby disrupting the long-established chemical pesticide market in food production in favour of IPM Strategies. The project will help PheroSyn and Andermatt accelerate their business growth, supplying effective, long-lasting, safe and affordable pest management tools to farmers and growers worldwide. Availability of the pheromones for use in climate-smart IPM of fruit pests will provide significant social and economic benefit to the UK by producing affordable, safe-to-eat food in a way that promotes zero-carbon agriculture through reduced chemical pesticide manufacture and deployment.