engleski

New methods in olive pests controlling using plant volatiles

The olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae, Rossi) and olive moth (Prays oleae, Bern.) are economically the most important olive pests, causing yield losses in all olive growing areas where detected. For years, the use of pesticides was the main method for their controlling, which intensive use had a negative effect on the environment. Therefore, the EU is seeking to reduce pesticide use by 50 % by 2030 and 100 % by 2050. Due to all the above, more effective non-pesticide lures for B. oleae and P. oleae monitoring and/or controlling are needed. Current knowledge suggests that different insect species are attracted by volatile natural compounds, including a pheromones, host-plant, yeasts and bacterial volatiles. Since the interaction between olive tree and olive pests has been purely investigated, the aim of this study was to identify the olive tree volatiles that could be responsible for B. oleae and P. oleae attracting, and to test them in olive orchards. Plant material was sampled on selected olive cultivars and volatiles were identified using HS- SPMEGC-MS. During investigation, around 70 different volatiles were identified from olive flower buds, fruits 4-6 mm and leaves, and 100 different volatiles from olive fruits in three ripening stages (green, half ripe and ripe), mostly belonging to the groups of esters, saturated hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alcohols, terpenes and sesquiterpenes. These results, as a pull of data will serve for identifying volatiles that could be responsible for olive moth attracting, thus selected volatiles will be tested in delta traps in multiple olive orchards. Volatiles that could be responsible for olive fruit fly attracting will be also selected and tested on yellow sticky traps in other olive orchards. The results of our research could provide answers to many concerns about the olive/pests relationship. Finding volatiles that could be responsible for attracting harmful species may lead to the development and improvement of new attractants, that could be a useful tool for monitoring and/or controlling of B. oleae and P. oleae in the future.

insect behaviour, IPM, Olea europea L., plant protection, volatile compounds

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