SPLAT PBW: Long Lasting Sprayable Pheromone Formulation to Eradicate Pectinophora Gossypiella

"This USDA SBIR Phase I research and development project will result in an effective, long-lasting, sprayable formulation to eradicate Pectinophora gossypiella, the cotton pink bollworm (PBW) from the United States. Yield losses range from $85-$170 per acre, with annual losses about $21 million due to prevention, control costs and lower yields due to plant damage, which just in Southern California and Arizona were estimated to exceed $1.2 billion over the past three decades. Now, with Bth-transgenic-cotton fields sustaining only incipient PBW populations, eradication can be achieved using pheromone mating disruption and sterile insect release tools. USDA is coordinating the deployment of an area-wide program to eradicate PBW from nearly 2 million acres of cotton in North America. There are no effective pheromone tools that combine the ease of application and the necessary longevity to execute a plan of this magnitude. If successful, this SBIR will result in SPLAT-PBW, a flowable emulsion formulation that delivers both the sex pheromone gossyplure and a killing agent to provide season-long control of PBW populations with a single application. SPLAT-PBW will shift the eradication cost equations significantly, saving $206 million in four years of eradication of PBW in the targeted 1,715,000 acres of cotton."