Summary
Pear decline is among the most damaging diseases of pear trees in Europe and North America, spread by pear psyllids carrying a phytoplasma. Rather than spraying insecticide, this study tests a push-and-pull strategy: volatile compounds from non-host plants repel the insects while volatiles from host plants draw them towards traps. Electrospun fibres serve as the dispensers, releasing the volatiles slowly and steadily in the orchard - a use of nanofibres far from the biomedical field, where controlled release protects a crop rather than a patient.
Authors & Affiliations
Linari Electrospinning Systems
Linari Engineering electrospinning system
The dispensers were produced on a Linari Engineering system, feeding 4 ml of polymer solution from a 5 ml syringe through a fine nozzle. Encapsulating volatile compounds for slow release in the field is one of the less familiar uses of electrospinning - see our range of systems.