Field Evaluation of Traps and Lures for Monitoring Plum Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Alabama Peaches

Abstract

The plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a key pest of peaches, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, in North America. We evaluated the effectiveness of two widely used trap types (pyramid versus Circle traps) and commercially available synthetic lures for monitoring the pest in two peach orchards in Alabama during 2008 and 2009. The lures evaluated alone or in combinations included benzaldehyde (BZ) (a component of fruit odor), plum essence (PE) (a mixture of fruit odor extracted from food grade plum), and grandisoic acid (GA) (a male-produced aggregation pheromone of plum curculio). In general, pyramid traps captured more plum curculio adults than Circle traps, particularly during the first generation. Trap performance was improved numerically by the addition of BZ, PE, or GA alone (single lures) and was significantly enhanced by the addition of the combined BZ + PE lure. In both first and second generations, the combined BZ + PE lure increased plum curculio captures (significant in some trials) over unbaited traps and traps baited with single lures by approximately 1.5-21-fold and had the highest response indices (RIs), which is indicative of high attractiveness. The combined BZ + GA lure and the three-component BZ + PE + GA lure also captured numerically more plum curculio adults than unbaited traps or traps baited with single lures but the differences were rarely significant. Analysis of ratios of interaction suggests the possibility of synergistic interactions between BZ and PE and between BZ and GA; however, additive effects were concluded due to high sample errors. These results are discussed in relation to the physicochemical properties of the lures and the potential of using baited monitoring traps to aid plum curculio management decisions in peach orchards.

Evaluating Electrophysiological and Behavioral Responses to Volatiles for Improvement of Odor-Baited Trap Tree Management ofConotrachelus nenuphar(Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…The function of aggregation pheromones can include efÞcient resource use, mate-Þnding, and protection from natural enemies and from environmental conditions (Wertheim et al 2005). Certainly, both male and female plum curculios respond to grandisoic acid (Eller and Bartelt 1996), to host plant odors , and to combinations of these stimuli in traps , Leskey et al 2005, Akotsen-Mensah et al 2010). However, it seems that establishing the active space of a particular combination and release rate within the context of an orchard will be necessary to better deploy these stimuli to improve overall efÞcacy of trap trees.…”

Seasonal Occurrence and Development of Degree-Day Models for Predicting Activity of Conotrachelus nenuphar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Alabama Peaches

“…Captures of plum curculio adults in four unbaited pyramid traps installed at random locations along the periphery of the orchard from 2000 to 2008 were used to determine seasonal occurrence. Trap placement procedures were as described by Prokopy and Wright (1997) and Akotsen-Mensah et al (2010). All traps were installed in the orchard by 28 February of each year and were removed at the end of the seasonal activity of plum curculio, usually Ϸ5 August.…”

Biology and Management of the Pecan Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…While the efficacy of the pheromone looked promising in the laboratory, field evaluations were not positive and subsequent trials to enhance efficacy also failed. The Circle trap has been widely adopted on pecan and other crops (Akotsen et al 2010) and according to Mulder et al (2003) provided greater confidence in detecting and accurately timing treatments for pecan weevil, particularly as the pecan weevil emergence season progressed. In comparison to earlier trunk trapping methods, this approach provides a simpler, less expensive, and effective means of detecting weevil emergence in pecan.…”