Journal of Economic Entomology (2007) 100, 580-585

Robert R. Heath, Aimé Vázquez, Cyntia Espada, Paul E. Kendra and Nancy D. Epsky (2007)
Quantification of ammonia release from fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) attractants using infrared spectroscopy
Journal of Economic Entomology 100 (2), 580-585
Abstract: Ammonia is the primary attractant for tephritid fruit flies, and traps baited with synthetic attractants using ammonia formulations have been highly successful in capturing these pests. However, difficulties in quantifying release rates of ammonia have limited abilities to make comparisons among field tests of different species by using different formulations. Therefore, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was evaluated as a method to quantify ammonia from synthetic lures. Analysis of the headspace from commercial ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium acetate lures indicated that there is a large burst of ammonia liberated upon initial exposure of the lures, but after 5-7 d the release rates stabilize and remain steady for at least 60 d under laboratory conditions. During the period of steady release, FTIR static measurements showed an average of 0.12 and 0.21 μg of ammonia per 50-ml sample from ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium acetate lures, respectively. FTIR dynamic measurements from ammonium acetate lures indicated a steady release rate of ~ 200 μg/h. Ammonia release rate from ammonium acetate lures could be reduced by decreasing the surface area of the release membrane, and the presence of crystal formations on the membrane seemed to decrease the longevity of the ammonium acetate lures.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Nancy D. Epsky, Paul E. Kendra

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Anastrepha ludens
	Ceratitis capitata