Seasonal and Cultivar-Associated Variation in Oviposition Preference of Oriental Fruit Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Adults and Feeding Behavior of Neonate Larvae in Apples

Abstract

The Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) has become a pest of tree fruits since its introduction to the United States in the early twentieth century. Oriental fruit moth has historically been a major pest problem in peach production, and outbreaks in commercial apple (Malus spp.) orchards in the eastern United States were rare until the late 1990s. Recent outbreaks in Mid-Atlantic apple orchards have lead researchers to investigate host-associated effects on oriental fruit moth biology, behavior, and population dynamics. Studies were designed to assess cultivar level effects in apples on oviposition and larval feeding behavior of oriental fruit moth. In a mixed cultivar apple orchard, total oriental fruit moth oviposition and oviposition site preferences varied between cultivars. These preferences also varied over time, when sampling was repeated at various times of the growing season. Although most adult female oriental fruit moth preferentially oviposited in the calyx and stem areas of apple fruit, noticeable numbers of eggs also were laid on the sides of fruit, contradicting some previous reports. Oriental fruit moth females exhibited a strong ovipositional preference for fruit that were previously damaged by oriental fruit moth or codling moth, Cydia ponmonella (L.). The majority of newly hatched oriental fruit moth larvae were observed to spend <24 h on the surface of apple fruit before entry, and this behavior was observed on several apple cultivars. Neonate larvae exhibited a preference for entering fruit at either the stem or calyx ends, regardless of their initial site of placement. Our findings underscore the importance of adequate spray coverage and accurate timing of insecticide applications targeting oriental fruit moth.

Toxicity of emamectin benzoate to Cydia pomonella (L.) and Cydia molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae): laboratory and field tests

“…The oriental fruit moth, Cydia molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is frequently associated with C. pomonella and requires specific control methods that need to be integrated in codling moth control strategies 1, 11, 12…”

Phototaxis of <I>Grapholitha molesta</I> (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) to Different Light Sources

“…The larvae cause damage by boring into fruit directly in summer and fall, or cause shoot dieback by eating the top branches in spring and early summer (Rothschild and Vickers 1991). The newly hatched larvae spend Ͻ24 h on the plant surface before burrowing inside the fruit or branch (Allen 1958, Myers et al 2006, but most of the widely used insecticides kill the neonate larvae and eggs (Rothschild and Vickers 1991); monitoring adult activity and determining the optimum period for insecticide application is of great important in management of this pest. Sex pheromone-baited traps have been widely used in monitoring and control of male G. molesta (Phillips 1973, Campion andNesbitt 1981).…”

“…Some studies have indicated that the catch number increased with increasing light intensity (Bowden 1982). Currently, we only know that G. molesta prefers to lay eggs on dark red fruit and red trapping devices show slightly higher efÞciencies than devices of other colors (Myers et al 2006, Zhao et al 2013. However, no research has yet examined the light response of G. molesta.…”

Research on the practical parameters of sex pheromone traps for the oriental fruit moth

“…However, the OFM capture efficiency of a red trap device is slightly higher than that of devices of other colours. According to previous reports, OFM shows preference to dark red fruits, and it often lays the eggs on red‐coloured fruits . Thus, it can be concluded that OFM has no sensitivity to colours in the visible light spectrum, but favours red slightly.…”