Scaled-up Production and Validation of Fruit Midge Pheromones for Pest Management

Midges are significant global pests of fruit production. Current management of midges is problematic, dominated by application of fossil-fuel based chemical pesticides that impact on beneficial insects and the wider environment detrimentally. In 2018-19 across the UK, over 1.14t of pesticide was applied, often pre-emptively, to an area of 1,034,565 hectares to control midge populations on wheat, blackcurrant, raspberry and pear crops, with 0.02t being applied to 6,953 hectares of pear crops alone.

There is a growing global trend to move away from reliance on chemical pesticides in food production in favour of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. The need for IPM strategies is driven by loss in efficacy of pesticides, reduced availability due to legislative regulation, and environmental issues associated with pesticide use. Pheromones form a critical component of IPM strategies, but compared to other crop pests, there are virtually no fruit midge pheromones currently available on the market.

This project will develop recent technological advances in designing production routes for midge sex pheromone production between PheroSyn Ltd and Rothamsted Research (RRes). PheroSyn and RRes will, for the first time, develop green-chemistry based production routes for commercial-scale production of the pear gall midge and pear leaf midge sex pheromones using renewable feedstocks.

Efficacy of the pheromone products in trapping and monitoring midge populations in fruit production systems will be undertaken by Andermatt Biocontrol UK Ltd a leading supplier of pheromone products to end-users (farmers and growers) in the UK and to continental Europe through the company's well-established network. With production capacity and product validation achieved, Andermatt will market the pheromones for use in fruit production systems from 2023\.

The project establishes an innovation partnership across a UK-based supply chain (technology and product development-end user validation-manufacture--distribution) for sale of hitherto-unavailable products that are in demand, into the agribusiness sector, thereby disrupting the long-established chemical pesticide market in food production in favour of IPM Strategies. The project will help PheroSyn and Andermatt accelerate their business growth, supplying effective, long-lasting, safe and affordable pest management tools to farmers and growers worldwide.

Availability of the pheromones for use in climate-smart IPM of fruit pests will provide significant social and economic benefit to the UK by producing affordable, safe-to-eat food in a way that promotes zero-carbon agriculture through reduced chemical pesticide manufacture and deployment.