James Oliver, Research Chemist

E-mail J. E. Oliver

Research Progress and Plans

View project information in ARS National Programs database

CRIS Project: 1275-22000-133-00D
Start Date: 06/04/96 Term Date: 06/03/01
(Replaces CRIS 1275-2200-084-00D)

CRIS Project Title: Modifying Chemicals with Enhanced Biological Potency

Objective:

• Develop an attractant to monitor potential invasions of the rosy Russian gypsy moth.
• Provide support for gypsy moth control programs by assuring purity and enantiomeric quality of the pheromone disparlure.

• Isolated and identified two compounds from female Lymantria mathura (rosy Russian gypsy moth). Both compounds have been synthesized and supplied to eastern Russian collaborators for field testing, and additional (racemic) material has been stockpiled for tests in the summer of 2000.

• Efforts are continuing to improve methodology for synthesis of pheromone with high enantiomeric purity to resolve questions about the exact enantiomeric composition of natural pheromone and to optimize effectiveness of baits for monitoring stations.

CRIS Project Title:Discover, Synthesize, Develop Attractants and Behavior-Modifying Chemicals to Manage Insects.

• Discover and develop improved attractants for fruit flies, particularly the melon fly Bactrocera cucurbitae.
• Develop improved dispensing systems for fruit fly attractants, particularly potentially attractive compounds with limited volatility.

• A series of fluorine-containing analogs of the known attractants, raspberry ketone and cuelure, have been synthesized, and work toward several non-fluorinated analogs is progressing. Although to date the fluorine-containing compounds have not been particularly good attractants, the trimethylsilyl ether of raspberry ketone has demonstrated activity comparable to that of cuelure. (With Dr. Victor Casaña-Giner)
• Collaborative work with Dr. Jeff White of Scentry, Inc., has been initiated to develop formulations that increase volatilization of the baits.
• Investigations of an aerosol dispensing system have been initiated. Two important melon fly lures have been formulated in aerosol pressure cans which can be deployed in the field by preprogrammed dispensing systems so that any amount of attractant can be dispensed at any desired time interval.

• Complete the synthesis of raspberry ketone and cuelure, send analogs to collaborators for attractiveness and formulation studies, and obtain attractiveness data on the new compounds.

• Refine experiments with aerosol release of fruit fly attractants. This is a new approach to fruit fly attractants, pursued because of the low volatility of the best melon fly attractants, and the system will be integrated into ongoing programs for fruit fly trapping.

CRIS Project Title:Semiochemically-Mediated Enhancement of Native Beneficials and Suppression of Key Pest Insects.

• Identify and synthesize semiochemicals potentially useful in controlling invasive insect pests, particularly the Asian longhorned beetle.

• Identify, synthesize, and study novel compounds from insects that promote unusual responses in plants.

• Identified two compounds from aerations of male Asian longhorned beetles that produced antennal responses in both male and female adult beetles. Both compounds were synthesized in quantities sufficient to permit tests for attractancy; unfortunately, to this point, attractancy under field conditions has not been demonstrated. (With A. Zhang and J. Aldrich)
• Isolated and identified highly novel compounds from adult insects of two bruchid species that promote rapid cell division when applied topically to pods of susceptible peas. The active compounds, which are (3-hydroxypropanoate) esters of long-chain a,w- diols, are unlike any compounds previously reported from any natural source, and are active at extremely low levels (0.5 picogram application). Synthetic methodology was developed as needed, and the compounds have been synthesized and are now available for more detailed testing. (With R. Doss, ARS, Corvallis)

• Work on semiochemicals for the Asian longhorned beetle will continue as insects become available. We suspect the existence of a female-produced contact pheromone that needs to be investigated.
• Determine the generality of the insect-derived plant growth regulators. Is their presence in nature limited to Bruchidae? Do plants other than peas respond when appropriately stimulated? What are the structural requirements for this unusual biological activity? What is the mode of action at the cellular level?

• Robert Doss, USDA, ARS, Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR (insect-derived plant mitogens).
• Roland Gerber, Paramount Farming Company, 33141 Lerdo Highway, Bakersfield, CA (aerosol dispensing of fruit fly attractants).
• Eric Jang, USDA, ARS, PWA, Hilo, HI (fruit fly attractants).
• William M. Proebsting, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (insect-derived plant mitogens).
• Grant McQuate, USDA, ARS, PWA, Hilo, HI (fruit fly attractants).
• Vic Mastro, USDA, APHIS, Otis ANG Base, MA (rosy Russian gypsy moth, Asian longhorned beetle).
• Adriaan Reinecke, Department of Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa (grain stink bug semiochemicals, earthworm volatiles).
• Eric Thibout, Inst. Rech. Biologie de L’Insecte, Faculte des Sciences, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France (identification of asparagus fly pheromone).
• Jeff White, Ecogen/Scentry, Inc., Billings, MT (fruit fly attractant).

  EDUCATION

  1966	PH.D., The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; major, Organic Chemistry.
  1962	B.S., The University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; major, Chemistry.

  EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

  1967-Present	Research Chemist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD.
  1966-1967	Research Associate, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

  PUBLICATIONS
  PATENT
  Zhang, A., Oliver, J. E., and Aldrich, J. R. Aggregation pheromone of the Asian longhorned beetle. U.S. Government Patent Serial No. 09/347,907, D.N. 0227.99. Filed July 7, 1999.