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Andrew Sutherland |
DAVIS--Andrew Sutherland, who received his doctorate in entomology from UC Davis under major professor Michael Parrella, is doing field research involving the use of honey bees to detect powdery mildew. Early detection of a plant pathogen can serve as an early warning system and lead to better disease management.
Sutherland, a researcher with the Department of Plant Pathology, says bees have excellent chemosensors on their antennae, so they're able to detect organic molecules.
Using Ivan Pavlov's method of classical conditioning, Sutherland is teaching bees to associate infected plants with a sugar reward.
After they are conditioned, the bees are placed inside a box and taken to the field, where if they encounter the same smell, they extend tongues in expectation of a sugar reward. The information is relayed back as a warning sign.
His research is titled “Development of a Biological Sensor for Powdery Mildew Infections Via Monitoring of the Proboscis Extension Reflex in Honey Bees.”
“We have secured the cooperation of UC Davis Entomology’s Bee Biology facility and research group to ensure a ready supply of bees," Sutherland said. "After collection, bees are restrained within cylindrical 'harnesses' and exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOC) from infected plants and/or uninfected plants for a short period prior to antennal presentation of sucrose and subsequent allowance for imbibition of the sucrose. After several of these training trials, subjects begin to extend their proboscis when the target VOC are encountered, in anticipation of the sucrose reward. This response can be recorded by visual monitoring or sometimes using pattern recognition software and digital imaging."
Other collaborators on the project include Robert M. Wingo; Los Alamos National Laboratory Chemistry Division, W. Douglas Gubler; UC Davis Plant Pathology and Kirsten J. McCabe; Los Alamos National Laboratory Bioscience Division.
SmartPlanet featured his work in a video on May 25, 2010.
Read more about his research project
Watch a video featuring his work (SmartPlanet.com)
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--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
