Mating disruption of citrus leafminer mediated by a noncompetitive mechanism at a remarkably low pheromone release rate.

The citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is a worldwide pest of citrus. A season-long investigation was conducted that evaluated mating disruption for this pest. Effective disruption of the male P. citrella orientation to pheromone traps (98%) and reduced flush infestation by larvae was achieved for 221 d with two deployments of a 3:1 blend of (Z,Z,E)-7,11,13-hexadecatrienal/(Z,Z)-7,11-hexadecadienal at a remarkably low rate of 1.5 g active ingredient (AI)/ha per deployment. To gain insight into the mechanism that mediates the disruption of P. citrella, male moth catch was quantified in replicated plots of citrus treated with varying densities of pheromone dispensers. The densities of septum dispensers compared were: 0 (0/ha, 0.0 g AI/ha), 0.2 (one every fifth tree or 35/ha, 0.05 g AI/ha), 1 (215/ha, 0.29 g AI/ha), and 5 per tree (1,100/ha, 1.5 g AI/ha). Profile analysis by previously published mathematical methods matched predictions of noncompetitive mating disruption. Behavioral observations of male P. citrella in the field revealed that males did not approach mating disruption dispensers in any of the dispenser density treatments. The current report presents the first set of profile analyses combined with direct behavioral observations consistent with previously published theoretical predictions for a noncompetitive mechanism of mating disruption. The results suggest that disruption of P. citrella should be effective even at high population densities given the density-independent nature of disruption for this species and the remarkably low rate of pheromone per hectare required for efficacy

Pheromones in pest control on currants : experiences of monitoring, disruption and mass trapping

Pheromones; current practice for monitoring of moths in Finland, control experiments in Finland: mating disruption and mass trapping

Evaluation of an active mating disruption concept against codling moth (Cydia pomonella) under the aspects of different application systems and varieties

Beside standard systems of mating disruption the activity of the product Exosex CM and Exosex 2 CM under the aspect of different application systems and several varieties were tested at the research station of the Federal College and Institute for Viticulture and Pomology Klosterneuburg. Male insects were attracted into the Exosex dispenser by using the appropriate pheromone, which acts on the pheromone receptive sensors on the male so that they cannot locate calling females. Standard mating disruption techniques usually rely on the introduction of amounts of pheromone emitted by natural populations of pest species into the atmosphere. Exosex CM significantly reduces deployment time and labour costs in the orchards, additionally the flexibility to fit in with IPM programmes was tested. The assessments were done visually on windfall fruits, fruits on the tree and on all fruits at harvest followed by statistical evaluation. Among the fruits sprayed with the IPM system there was an infestation rate of the first (Cydia pomonella) generation at the variety Idared of 0,8%, the second generation treated with Exosex showed an infestation of 13%. In the biological trial however the infestation by the first generation was about 4% and the infestation of the second generation about 31%

Mating disruption of Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) in stored product habitats using the synthetic pheromone serricornin

Citation: Mahroof, R. M., & Phillips, T. W. (2014). Mating disruption of Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) in stored product habitats using the synthetic pheromone serricornin. Retrieved from http://krex.ksu.eduCigarette beetles, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), cause significant damage to the multi-billion dollar food and tobacco industries worldwide each year. A non-insecticidal alternative to manage L. serricorne is the application of mating disruption, in which high levels of synthetic sex pheromone are released to create an atmosphere that results in males failing to mate females thereby causing population suppression or extinction. The reported work used synthetic serricornin, the predominant sex pheromone of L. serricorne, in mating disruption trials conducted in selected food and feed processing facilities in South Carolina during 2010 and 2011. Mills subjected to mating disruption trials were monitored using oviposition cups filled with larval food and pheromone traps for males that contained monitoring lures. Immediately after deployment of mating disruption dispensers, trap captures declined significantly and indicated a reduction in population levels, i.e. there was “trap shut down”. A significant reduction was observed in numbers of adult beetles caught in the traps eight weeks before and eight weeks after treatment in both years. Beetle numbers from pheromone traps in untreated buildings remained at similar levels or increased after the time of mating disruption deployment in treated buildings. The numbers of adults that emerged from oviposition food cups were generally low and varied irregularly in treated and untreated buildings, and were determined to be of little value for assessing treatment effects on reproduction. These initial field studies in the U.S. suggest that release of the synthetic sex pheromone of L. serricorne for mating disruption can significantly inhibit proper orientation behavior of male L. serricorne to females and may lead to pest population decline from mating disruption

Intraspecific Variation in Female Sex Pheromone of the Codling Moth Cydia pomonella

The codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), is a major pest of apple, pear and walnut orchards worldwide. This pest is often controlled using the biologically friendly control method known as pheromone-based mating disruption. Mating disruption likely exerts selection on the sexual communication system of codling moth, as male and female moths will persist in their attempt to meet and mate. Surprisingly little is known on the intraspecific variation of sexual communication in this species. We started an investigation to determine the level of individual variation in the female sex pheromone composition of this moth and whether variation among different populations might be correlated with use of mating disruption against those populations. By extracting pheromone glands of individual females from a laboratory population in Canada and from populations from apple orchards in Spain and Italy, we found significant between- and within-population variation. Comparing females that had been exposed to mating disruption, or not, revealed a significant difference in sex pheromone composition for two of the minor components. Overall, the intraspecific variation observed shows the potential for a shift in female sexual signal when selection pressure is high, as is the case with continuous use of mating disruption.We would like to thank Mark Gardiner (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, BC, Canada) for sending pupae to the University of Amsterdam, which was quite a challenge. We also would like to thank John Kusters (PG Kusters land en tuinbouwbenodigdheden B.V., Dreumel, The Netherlands) for providing us access to his apple orchards to collect larvae. This study was partly funded by IBED, University of Amsterdam

Mathematical modelling of mating-disrupting and trapping controls. Theoretical results and simulations

The control of insect pest populations in environmentally friendly manner is a major challenge. Several techniques are available, like mating-disruption, pheromone trapping, sterile insect technique, or biological control methods using parasitoïds or natural enemies, etc. In any case, a long term study is necessary to anticipate problems and difficulties related to the method and prevent any ecological disaster. The success of these control methods relies not only on a good knowledge of the pest's biology and ecology, but also on the population size and space-time distribution. In order to identify the most appropriate (combination of) control technique(s), to optimize a control strategy in time and space or to understand failures in experiments, mathematical modelling can be a very helpful tool for researchers. In this talk, we focus on mating-disruption and trapping. First, we present a temporal model related to this control. A qualitative study allows us to highlight two thresholds related to the success or failure of the mating-disruption method. We also show that adding efficient tapping can considerably improve the control. Finally, we extend our model to a spatio-temporal model and provide simulations to illustrate our discussions. (Texte intégral

Target-site mutations (AChE and kdr), and PSMO activity in codling moth (Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)) populations from Spain

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) is a key pest of global importance that affects apple fruit production and whose populations have developed resistance to insecticides in many apple production areas. In Spain, enhanced cytochrome P450 polysubstrate monooxygenase (PSMO) activity is the main mechanism involved in insecticide detoxification by codling moth, although acetylcholinesterase (AChE) target site mutations have been described in two populations. However, the extent of AChE and knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in Spain is unknown. To assess the actual occurrence of AChE and kdr mutations concurrently with the frequency of moths with PSMO enhanced activity (R-PSMO), 32 Spanish field populations from four apple-growing areas of Spain and two susceptible laboratory strains were evaluated. R-PSMO was significantly higher in 23 chemically treated field populations from Extremadura, Catalonia and Aragon, with proportions that varied between 25% and 90%, but no significant differences among strains and the non-chemically treated orchards (organic or abandoned) were observed. The AChE mutation (F290V) was detected in all field populations from Catalonia (n=21) and in three field populations from Aragon (n=5), with resistant phenotype proportions varying from 34.2% to 97.5% and from 7.2% to 65% in Catalonia and Aragon, respectively. In addition, the kdr mutation (L1014F) was detected in twelve Catalonian field populations, at rates of incidence ranging between 2.6% and 56.8%. A positive correlation between R-PSMO and AChE mutation was found. The origin of the mutations and their ability to persist and spread in field populations with different management systems is discussed.The authors thank the fruit growers and pest control advisors of the different Spanish apple-growing areas for their help in accessing and identifying apple orchards and Mónica Pérez for her technical help. This work was funded by grant Fondo de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, FONDECYT 11130599 (CONICYT), Chile, to M.A. Rodríguez, by grant AGL2013-49164 of the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, to J. Avilla and D. Bosch, and by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya

Relationship Between Fruit Yield and Damage by Codling Moth and Plum Curculio in a Biologically-Managed Apple Orchard

Fruit yield, codling moth (Cydia pomonella) damage, and plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) damage were monitored over an 8-year period in a O.5-ha, biologically-managed apple orchard in southwestern Michigan. The relationship between yield and damage was examined for both of these pests. The orchard showed clear biennial bearing patterns of alternating high and low yields. A significant negative correlation was found for yield and percent- age damage by codling moth but not for plum curculio damage. However, the estimated amount of fruit damaged by codling moth remained relatively stable over the period, indicating that changes in percentage damage depended on yield dynamics rather than changes in codling moth abundance. In contrast, the amount of fruit damaged by plum curculio showed biennial fluctuations and a positive correlation with yield, indicating that the population of this pest was capable of responding with increased oviposition in years with greater fruit yield. In addition, a comparison of codling moth fruit injury in years with and without the use of pheromone mating disruption showed no statistically significant reduction in damage as a result of using this method, suggesting that the orchard may be too small or codling moth populations too high for effective use of this management tactic

Field observations about the behaviour of codling-moth in Trentino (North-Eastern Italy)

Codling-moth and applescab are the most important pathogens in both conventional and organic apple productions. In order to control any phytopathological problem, it is important to improve the knowledge of the behaviour of each specific pest. Since several years (starting from 1986) we are improving in Trentino (North-Eastern Italy) the observations of the population dynamics of codling-moth in order to find the best way to control and treat this pest insect. Constant monitoring and the knowledge of the characteristics of the different compounds and possible methods to control the codling-moth (mating disruption, granulose virus and specific nematodes) represent the most important basis to organize an effective controlstrategy