Effect of Pheromone-Mediated Mating Disruption on Pest Population Density of Maruca vitrata (Fabricius) (Crambidae: Lepidoptera)

Abstract

The legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata) is one of the most serious legume pests due to its wide host range and high damage potential. Pheromone components on M. vitrata have been previously identified, allowing research on more environmentally friendly IPM tools for its control. M. vitrata produces a three-component pheromone blend containing (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienal (major), (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienol (minor), (E)-10-hexadecenal (minor). This study focused on the efficacy of synthetic pheromone lures and their blend components for mating disruption in M. vitrata. Under laboratory conditions, the mating behavior of M. vitrata pairs was observed from 18:00 to 02:00 h in an interval of 20 min to assess the efficacy of different pheromone lures. The scotophase behavior results show that the complete pheromone blend (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienal + (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienol + (E)-10-hexadecenal with a blend ratio of 1:1:1 effectively disrupted mating. The impact on mating disruption was evident from the lower fecundity and egg hatch/eclosion. The same lures were evaluated in a small-scale caged field study. The results show that the pheromone blend of (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienal + (E, E)-10,12-hexadecadienol + (E)-10-hexadecenal in a1:1:1 ratio significantly disrupted the normal mating, leading to lower flower and pod damage and higher mung bean yield.

Biological Approaches for Sustainable Pest and Disease Management in Pulse Crops

“…Parasitoids, which are insects that lay their eggs within or on the body of a host insect, have also been widely used in biological control programs for pulse crops. Prominent examples include various species of parasitic wasps (e.g., Trichogramma spp., Braconidae, and Ichneumonidae) that target lepidopteran pests, such as pod borers and armyworms [8,9].…”

Olfactory responses of the blister beetle Epicauta atomaria, a polyphagous crop pest, to host, non‐host, and conspecific odors

“…It is widely known that the unique characteristics of insect pheromones, such as high specificity, low toxicity, activity at very low concentrations, and rapid degradation in the environment, make them ideal tools within integrated pest management (IPM) programs (Klassen et al, 2023;Rizvi et al, 2021). For example, dispensers emitting volatile pheromones in the field are used for monitoring and managing pests, by means of mass trapping, mating disruption, "attract-and-kill" and in "push-pull" strategies (Carleton et al, 2020;Cruz-Esteban et al, 2022;Dhanyakumar et al, 2020;Fountain et al, 2021;Gregg et al, 2018;Hassemer et al, 2019;Howse et al, 1998;Luo et al, 2019). Allelochemicals are also used within IPM programs.…”