SRA Entomology Research Scientist, Dr Samuel Bawa, won the best poster paper in the Agricultural section of the ASSCT Conference in Brisbane this month.
In a short presentation about his poster at the conference, Samuel outlined his one-year research project which aims to identify and analyse volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from host plants as a possible new way to control cane beetles.
VOCs are naturally occurring organic compounds produced and released from different parts of plants.
They can serve as insect attractants or repellents and can influence insect behaviour such as feeding and egg laying.
It is the larvae of the cane beetle feeding on the roots which cause the most sugarcane damage with an economic cost of more than $50 million a year. This is the only stage, which is currently targeted for control, using insecticides.
However, VOCs may be able to be used to attract and trap adult beetles before they have a chance to lay their eggs in soil.
The aim is to broaden the future control of cane beetles by targeting two stages of the life cycle – larvae and adults.
Samuel has collected VOCs in the Burdekin and Cairns regions. Three groups of VOCs were identified from the host plants – green-leaf volatiles, aromatic compounds and Terpenoids.
The poster was presented by Samuel on behalf of his team which included Dr Kevin Powell, Prof. PC Gregg, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England and Dr AP Del-Socorro, EcoKimiko IPM Pty Ltd.
Samuel Bawa with co-authors, Dr Emtia Chandrima, Holly Farnan and Dr Kevin Powell won the prize for the best research paper titled Using novel screening methods for evaluating insecticides against canegrubs at ASSCT last year.
Read more about the project in Cane Matters, Summer 2024/25 (page 13).
