Overview
Insects damage important crops and forests and some insect species are responsible for the transmission of diseases. If we better understand which compounds mediate the attraction of these insects, we could better control the damage. SPARK funding for this project will help Drs. Daniel Doucet and Jeremy Allison (Great Lakes Forestry Centre) develop the antenna-in-a-cell platform that aims to find physiologically-active odorants, and how they interact the insects’ odorant receptors (OR). This research holds promise for the development of odorant molecules as operational insect lures.
The project focused on the validation of the approach on two invasive insects of critical concern in forestry: the Emerald Ash Borer and the Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle. Results have allowed the identification of key ORs in both species and their potential roles in volatile odor detection. The results will allow narrowing down the search for optimal odor blends to use against these two insect species.