DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALTERNATIVE PHEROMONE MATING DISRUPTION SYSTEM FOR CODLING MOTH MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA PEARS

Attempts to develop a low-cost pheromone mating disruption program for codling moth using a microencapsulated (MEC) formulation of codlemone did not produce adequate trap or damage suppression.
Inclusion of a low rate of MEC pheromone at 12.4 g ai/ha with conventional insecticide treatments failed to provide any additional suppression despite of 3-6 applications of pheromone made to experimental plots.
Neither seasonal trap counts nor fruit damage at several points in the growing season were statistically different. Residues of the MEC formulation were allowed to age either with exposure to sunlight or in heavily shaded conditions in the field.
Antennal responses to the residues were evaluated using an electroantennogram with statistically significant responses observed up to 6 weeks for residues aged with direct sunlight excluded.
For residues exposed to sunlight, no antennal responses were observed by day 6. The instability of the product under sun lit conditions suggests greater difficulties will be faced with development of this approach in pear canopies that allow considerable light penetration, e.g., trellised systems.
As such, mating disruption programs using less stable pheromone formulations may need to be tailored to specific orchard conditions or avoided entirely based on their crop management practices.

X International Pear Symposium

S. Welter, F. Cave

Cydia pomonella, pears, pest management, behavior

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.800.116