Recent developments with methyl isonicotinate, a semiochemical used in thrips pest management

Methyl isonicotinate is one of several recently discovered and patented semiochemicals used in thrips pest management. Methyl isonicotinate is the current active ingredient of LUREM-TR (Koppert Biological Systems) and FROC and THSP (PHEROBANK). These lures are mostly used in Europe but there are plans for the release of these or similar products in Australasia in the near future. Field and glasshouse trapping experiments and wind tunnel and Y-tube olfactometer studies in several countries have shown that methyl isonicotinate has activity against at least 10 thrips species including several important pest species not found in New Zealand. Methyl isonicotinate in LUREM-TR, FROC and THSP is primarily used as a lure with coloured sticky traps for enhanced monitoring of thrips in greenhouses. Recent research indicates that methyl isonicotinate has the potential to be used for other thrips management strategies such as mass trapping, lure and kill, lure and infect and as a behavioural synergist in conjunction with insecticides, in a range of indoor and outdoor crops