Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Whole live micro-organism – cell – or virus containing – Fungus
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-08-14
Marx, Irene (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing
Fungus
C424S115000, C424S405000, C504S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06274137
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the use of yeast for the control of moth of other insect pests and for attracting and conserving predatory insects of the pests. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of yeast for the control of cotton bollworm and native budworm.
BACKGROUND ART
Cotton bollworm (
Helicoverpa armigera
Hubner) and native bud worm (
Helicoverpa punctigera
Wallengren) are the major pests of cotton. Both insects are polyphagous and they feed preferentially on young growing tips or reproductive structures. The adults feed on nectar and the damage they cause is the result of the larvae feeding on leaves and buds or bolls. Infestations of these moths results in the loss of the terminal bud or fruiting structures either as floral buds (squares) or as fruit (bolls) causing considerable yield loss. Host plants other than cotton include maize, sorghum, wheat, sunflower, lucerne, various legumes especially soybean, pigeon pea and chickpea, tomatoes, okra, other vegetables, fruits, top fruits and citrus.
H. armigera
is cosmopolitan and is the principal species in the Old World from Africa to the Pacific Islands but
H. punctigera
is an endemic species. Infestation of cotton by Helicoverpa spp. may occur at anytime after seedling emergence, but their abundance is highly variable being influenced by environmental factors, natural enemy abundance, quality and quantity of host plants and also their migratory movements. The two species usually follow a regular pattern of abundance in all areas they attack with
H. punctigera
the dominant species prior to flowering and well into summer (January).
H. armigera
becomes dominant from January onwards in most areas and is rarely seen in early season cotton.
The current control programme for cotton bollworm and native budworm in cotton relies heavily on synthetic insecticides. Cotton crops receive on average 12 insecticide and insecticide mixture sprays each season, although extremes of 18-20 sprays still occur. In 1991 Australian cotton growers spent approximately A$74 million on insecticides, A$15 million on application costs and A$9 million for professional consultants giving total insect control costs approaching A$100 million per year. The over-reliance on insecticides and its associated problems of insecticide resistance especially in
H. armigera,
disruption of natural enemies of the pests and environmental consequences due to residues in soil and water, off-target drift near human habitation have cast doubt on the long term viability of the cotton industry and the classical insecticide approach. It is therefore essential that an alternative non-chemical control measure be developed against the pest to achieve sustainability of cotton production.
Presently with our monoculture practices in agriculture and the use of pesticides we are inadvertently discriminating against beneficial insects. Many areas where crops are grown especially cotton growing areas are remote from wild vegetation. They are often treeless, bushless, rockless and often lay fallow most part of the year. With no natural refuges, no food sources for adult natural enemies of phytophagous insects, beneficial insects are made ineffective. There is therefore lack of diversity and instability in the agroecosystem.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling moth or other insect pests in a habitat which comprises disrupting and suppressing female oviposition by treating the habitat with yeast.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling moth or other insect pests and attracting, augmenting and conserving natural enemies of the moth or other insect pests, in a habitat which comprises treating the habitat with yeast.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of controlling moth or other insect pests in a habitat and attracting, augmenting and conserving natural enemies of the moth or other insect pests, which comprises treating the habitat with yeast and one or more other food substances suitable for sustaining the natural enemies.
The present invention controls moth or other pests through suppression and disruption of female oviposition.
Preferably, the moth or other insect pests are cotton bollworm and native budworm.
Habitat includes cotton, maize, sorghum, wheat, sunflower, lucerne, various legumes especially soybean, pigeon pea and chickpea, tomatoes, okra, other vegetables, fruits, top fruits, citrus and like plants.
Yeast includes brewers' yeast, bakers' yeast, yeast hydrolysate, and enzymatically hydrolysed yeast products, and other yeast extracts. Suitable commercial yeast products include Feed Wheast (a product of Knudsen Creamery Company, Los Angeles, Calif., USA), Pred-Feed (a product of Custom Chemicides, Fresno. Calif.) yeast protein (Bee Wheast), Yesta 20B (a product of CPC (United Kingdom) Limited, Bovril Food Ingredients Division, Staffordshire, UK).
Preferably, the food substance suitable for attracting, augmenting or sustaining natural enemies includes one or more kinds of saccharides, crude proteins, fat, fibre or ash. Other substances include natural honeydews produced by some insects, pollen from flowers, molasses, sucrose, honey, date syrup (a product of Date Factory, Tripoli, Libya) tryptophan and the like.
Preferably, the food substance is raw sugar. The yeast and raw sugar can be applied simultaneously or sequentially.
The insects that are suitable for treatment by the present invention apart form cotton bollworm and native budworm, include thrips (plague thrips, cotton bud thrips, predatory thrips, onion thrips).
Beneficial insects of Helicoverpa spp. that can be attracted and or conserved by the present invention include
Harmonia arcuata
Fabricuis,
Diomus notescens
Blackburn,
Coccinella repanda
Thunberg,
Dicranolauis bellulus
Guerin (predatory beetles);
Geocoris lubra
Kirkaldy,
Cermatulus nasalis
Westwood,
Nabis capsiformis
Germar,
Campylomma livida
Reuter (predatory bugs); Chrysopa spp.
Micromus tasmaniae
Walker (predatory lacewings);
Pterocormus promissorius
Erichson,
Heteropelma scaposum
Morley
Netelia producta
(Brulle) (parasitoids),
Archaearanea veruculata
Urquhart, Oxyopes spp. Lycosa spp. Salticidae spp., Diaea spp., Araneus spp. (spiders).
The present invention is also suitable for integrating with chemical treatments and/or biological treatments against the relevant pest. Suitable chemical treatments include the use of insecticides such as organochlorines (eg endosulfan, dicofol), organophosphates (eg accephate Chlorpyrifos, demeton-s-methyl, dimethoate, disulfoton, formothion, monocrotophos, omethoate, parathionmethyl, phorate, profenofos, sulprofos, thiometon), carbamates (aldicarb, carbaryl, methomyl, thiodicarb), pyretroids (alphamethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, fenvalerate fluvalinate, lambda-cyhalothrin), chitin inhibitors (eg chlorfluazuron), synergists (eg piperonyl butoxide (PBO), petroleum spray oil and the like.
Suitable biological pesticides include
Bacillus thuringiensis
and Neem tree (
Azadiracta indica
) extracts which are known to suppress larval feeding of both cotton bollworm and native budworm.
The present invention is also suitable for combining with other treatments in order to prevent build up of resistance by the pests The other treatment can be applied simultaneously or sequentially. For example, for a sequential treatment with a particular treatment regime for the present invention, if the regime requires treatment every fortnight, then another treatment can be used every alternate fortnight to prevent the pests from building up resistance to the present treatment. Typically, the present treatment is alternated with another treatment which includes a substance such as petroleum spray oil or a combination of petroleum spray oil and saccharides.
Suitable petroleum spray oils are white oils or dormant or summer spray oils as known in the horticultural industry. These are typically C
19
-C
28
hydrocarbons. Preferably, t
Marx Irene
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
The State of New South Wales
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