Integrated Orchard Safeguard

Overview

Current method of applying entomogenous fungal pesticides large-scaled spraying fungal spore solution. However, deployment of genetically engineered fungal pesticides using contemporary methods puts the local eco-system at risk of disruption by the residual fungi.

Our project is divided into two main focuses to neutralize these risks. While our team members in wet lab aim to design a killing switch circuit to decrease the environmental risk of genetically engineered fungus from within the organism. Our prototype team attempt introduce an alternative to large-scaled spraying of genetically modified biopesticide by designing and building an Integrated Orchard Safeguard system centered around our prototype bait trap.

In modern bait traps, the bait only attract male B. dorsalis. However, it is the females that are responsible for the species' high reproductiveness and destructiveness. This is why we designed the bait trap to attract, infect, and release male flies to allow M. anisopliae infection to spread to the females via copulation with infected males. The IR counter, another feature of our prototype, record and provide information including pest population size and meteorological data, such as temperature and humidity. Furthermore, farmers can monitor their orchards with our smartphone app that receives data from the IR counter.

We present the Integrated Orchard Safeguard, an information network system that connects our bait trap, IR counter and smartphone app together.

New Generation Bait Trap

After the bait trap receives the population size information of B. dorsalis from the IR counter, it will then automatically regulate the frequency of the spray of fungal spore solution and the opening duration of the door.

Design

1. The First Layer – Microcontroller, Power

The Arduino UNO main chip in our design was combined with two additional Appsduino chips, AppsBee Shield and Appsduino Shield. (The web site of Appsduino: http://appsduino.com/)

2. The Second Layer – Motor

We use the string attached to a ULN2003 motor to open and close the door.

3. Drawer – Entrance, Atomization Device

Since flying up is one of the behaviors of B. dorsalis, we set the entrance at the bottom of the trap to hinder the escape of trapped flies. The grower can pull out the drawer to refill the methyl eugenol(a pheromone precursor) to maintain the trap's attraction to male flies. The atomization device in the drawer sprays fungal spore solution to infect the trapped male flies.

Features

1. Specificity - Methyl Eugenol

Methyl Eugenol is the pheromone precursor of B. dorsalis. It only attracts male flies. The male flies will fly away once they have consumed enough Methyl Eugenol.

2. Target main Problem – Female B. dorsalis

Female B. dorsalis poses more threat than males.

3. Regulation – IR Counter, Trap, Phone App

Automatically regulation of the spray frequency and door open duration depends on the data collected by the IR counter and phone APP.

4. Eco-Friendly – Recycle

Replacing the indissoluble plastic material (distributed by the government) with recyclable wood chips, which can reduce environmental pollution.

Mechanism

Functionality Display Video

IR Counter & APP

IR counter records and provides real-time information of the orchard : pest group size and meteorological data including temperature and humidity. With a smartphone app, the bait traps are able to inform the grower of these important information.