Sex Pheromone Aerosol Emitters for Lobesia botrana Mating Disruption in Italian Vineyards

Abstract

Despite the great amount of information on the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and the effective strategies available for its management, this moth remains the main key pest damaging grapevines in the Mediterranean and Central Europe wine-growing areas. Synthesizing and manipulating its sex pheromone components fostered the development of new dispensers to boost the effectiveness and sustainability of mating disruption (MD) programs. Recent MD research has highlighted that the effectiveness of aerosol emitters is comparable to that of passive dispensers when applied in large, uniform sites such as Spanish vineyards. However, aerosol emitters that are equally effective in geographical areas characterized by small-sized vineyards, typical of many Italian regions, have not received enough research attention. To face this challenge, herein the experimental aerosol emitter (product code: Isonet® L MISTERX843) was tested at three different application rates (i.e., 2, 3 and 4 units/ha) in three study sites, two in Tuscany (Central Italy in 2017 and 2018) and one in Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy in 2017), respectively, for a total of five trials. To assess the efficacy of this novel MD aerosol emitter, three different application densities were compared with an untreated control and two grower’s standards. The latter were represented by passive (Isonet® L TT) and active (Checkmate® Puffer® LB) release dispensers, already on the market for EGVM MD and applied at, respectively, 200–300 and 2.5–4 units/ha. MD carried out with Isonet® L MISTERX843 led to zero catches of males in the pheromone traps. They also allowed for a significant reduction in the number of infested flower clusters and bunches, as well as in the number of nests per flowers cluster/bunch, if compared to the untreated control. As a general trend, MD effectiveness was fully comparable, or even better, if compared to the grower’s standard. In conclusion, our research pointed out that the Isonet® L MISTERX843 can allow for effective EGVM management in small-sized Italian vineyards. Lastly, our economic evaluation showed that the MD whole cost per hectare using active or passive release devices was comparable.

Simultaneous mating disruption of two moth pests of the vineyard (Lobesia botrana and Cryptoblabes gnidiella) through a biodegradable sex pheromone dispenser

“…Furthermore, the MD formulations should be effective in cases of high pest population densities under different climatic conditions (Ioriatti et al 2011 ; Lucchi et al 2019b ). For EGVM, previous studies reported the effectiveness of MD strategies against this species, with different kind of dispensers (e.g., ampulla and capillary tube) and pheromone release modalities (e.g., active or passive release devices) (Altindisli et al 2016 ; Benelli et al 2023c ; Gordon et al 2005 ; Ioriatti et al 2011 ; Lucchi et al 2018a ). In our trials, the experimental dispenser proved to be effective at all densities tested, showing a comparable reduction in EGVM infestation levels.…”

“…kurstaki and aizawaii (Benelli et al 2023a ; Civolani et al 2014 ). The understanding of the courting and mating behavior of EGVM mediated by pheromone blends, now synthesized and formulated, has led to the consolidation and improvement of MD techniques to manage this key pest (Benelli et al 2023a ).…”