Can Mating Disruption Be a Possible Route to Control Plum Fruit Moth in Mediterranean Environments?

Abstract

Control of the plum fruit moth, Grapholita funebrana Treitschke (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), has been mainly based on the use of chemical insecticides, which can cause undesirable side effects, leading to a growing interest towards alternative sustainable strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the mating disruption technique on G. funebrana infestation in plum orchards, by comparing the number of male captures in pheromone-baited traps, and evaluating the damage to fruits in plots treated with the pheromone dispersers and in control plots. The study was carried out in 2012 and 2014 in three organic plum orchards, on the cultivars Angeleno, Friar, President and Stanley. To evaluate the pheromone emission curve of the dispensers from the openings to the end of the trials, a chemical analysis was carried out by solid phase micro-extraction followed by gas chromatography, followed by mass spectrometry. In all years and orchards the mean number of males caught in traps placed in the treatment plots was always significantly lower than untreated plots. Pheromone emission from the dispensers was highest at the opening, and was still considerable at 54 days of field exposure, while it significantly decreased after 72 days of field exposure. Cultivar was confirmed to be an essential factor in determining the fruit infestation level. Pheromone treatment significantly reduced fruit infestation, but not economic damage.

Mating Disruption for Managing the Honeydew Moth, Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Millière), in Mediterranean Vineyards

“…For this reason, further studies on the HM phenology are necessary, especially in the months of May and June. In addition, when high populations occur, MD should be regarded as a control method within an IPM strategy [ 15 , 17 , 41 ]. An increase in knowledge about HM occurrence on wild host plants and abiotic factors influencing its population dynamics is crucial to enhance the application of MD against this emerging threat to Mediterranean vineyards.…”

“…Moth sexual communication is based on the release of a sex pheromone by the female, which is eventually detected by males through appropriate neurosensory structures [ 13 , 14 ]. The release of synthetic pheromone plumes interferes with the mate finding process [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]; thus, this technique affects the chance of reproduction of the target species, with a consequent impact on its population dynamics [ 18 ]. As mentioned above, MD has proved to be a valid control tool to manage the populations of several moths of economic importance [ 15 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ] and has been successfully applied in the control of the European grapevine moth and the vine mealybug in European vineyards [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

From Insect Pheromones to Mating Disruption: Theory and Practice

“…Several novel mating disruption approaches have been developed and/or optimized to manage a broadly diverse number of insect pests. A major focus has been devoted to moth pests, showing carefully conducted mating disruption experiments on grape (Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Millière, 1867) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)) [8], plum (Grapholita funebrana Treitschke (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)) [9], almond (Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)) [10], and tomato (Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)) [11], as well as on polyphagous leafrollers, such as Proeulia auraria (Clarke) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) [12]. Concerning mealybugs, further research efforts have been directed to evaluating the potential of P. calceolariae mating disruption in apple and tangerine orchards [13].…”

Mating Disruption of Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) in Fruit Crops

“…MD has been one of the most successfully used strategies for controlling various pests, with over 800,000 hectares treated worldwide [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]. MD has been mainly used for the control of Lepidoptera species attacking vegetables, orchards and forests [ 7 ], such as codling moth ( Cydia pomonella L.), grapevine moth ( Lobesia botrana Denis & Schiffermüller), the plum fruit moth ( Grapholita funebrana Treitschke) [ 8 ] and gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar L.) [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 9 ]. Successful cases of mating disruption have also been reported in other insect orders such as the Oriental beetle ( Anomala orientalis (Waterhouse)) and Prionus californicus Motschulsky, both Coleoptera [ 2 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”