SBIR Phase II: Implementation of Sex Pheromone-Based Systems to Suppress Populations of Soybean Aphids

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to develop sex pheromone-based techniques for monitoring, mass trapping, and mating disruption of the soybean aphid. Since its first appearance in North America, infestations of the newly invasive soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, have continued to cause a significant soybean yield loss due to either direct feeding damage or the vectoring of plant viruses by the aphid. In 2003, the total acreage with soybean aphid infestation was estimated at over 8 million, with yield loss ranging from 32% - 45% in the three biggest soybean growing states in the U.S. (Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota). This project will investigate novel suppression strategies to reduce populations of this pest, thereby reducing the size of the subsequent populations feeding on soybeans. The commercial application of this project will be to manage aphids in the soybean crop. The research aims to increase knowledge of the chemical ecology of aphids, as well as provide a new understanding of how to use these novel aphid sex pheromone-based control strategies most effectively. This will help growers in the U.S., the world's largest soybean exporting country, to improve crop quality and yield at a minimal cost for soybean aphid management, thereby increasing their competitiveness in the world market.