ALPHA SCENTS, INC. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: The citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella, Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Description

The citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella, Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is an exotic pest of citrus originally found in Florida in 1993 followed by Texas in 1994. Feeding damage by CLM predisposes trees to citrus canker. Loss of citrus crop caused by canker is estimated at 10% of a total $1.3 billion on-tree value for all citrus in the U.S. Until recently, only pesticidal sprays were used to control CLM. The situation changed, however, when a new pheromone for CLM was identified. This pheromone can be used in semiochemical-based CLM management techniques such as Attract&Kill or Mating Disruption. The pheromone, which is not commercially available, is difficult and extremely expensive to synthesize. Current estimated manufacturing cost of CLM based on published procedures is $200,000 per kg. At this cost of the pheromone, its use in semiochemical-based management techniques is too costly. In this project, we intend to develop a simplified, less expensive, and scaled up synthetic pathway for the citrus leafminer pheromone.