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Season-long mating disruption of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by one machine application of pheromone in wax drops (SPLAT-OFM)

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Abstract

A novel emulsified wax dispenser (SPLAT-OFM) of pheromone was evaluated in concert with a custom-built, tractor-mounted applicator, designed for fast application of dispensers for mating disruption of Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), in apple. The formulation consisted of microcrystalline wax emulsified in water. It was loaded with G. molesta pheromone (93:6:1 blend of (Z)-8-dodecen-1-yl-acetate:(E)-8-dodecen-1-yl-acetate:(Z)-8-dodecen-1-ol) at 10% by weight. The hydraulically driven applicator dispensed the wax formulation as discrete particles from a rotating double-orifice distributor positioned directly above the tree canopy. Wax-drop size averaged (±SEM) 0.38 ± 0.16 g and 4.3 ± 0.5 drops adhered per tree. Following a single mechanized application of SPLAT-OFM on 24 April at 8 ml per tree (1.6 kg/ha) to 0.8 ha blocks of apple, male G. molesta orientation to optimally attractive pheromone traps was disrupted by 98% relative to untreated control plots for the whole season. Furthermore, on 17 weekly deployments of tethered virgin females (1,016 females deployed and 732 recovered for dissection) throughout the season, no mating was detected in SPLAT-OFM-treated blocks, while mating in control blocks averaged 27%. During the first 17 days following deployment in sticky traps, SPLAT-OFM drops attracted ca. 1/46th of the number of male G. molesta attracted to optimized synthetic lures. However, following 17 days of field aging, SPLAT-OFM drops became equally attractive to optimized synthetic lures for the remainder of the season. The release rate of pheromone from wax drops 0–14 and 15–76 days following deployment averaged 21.4 and 5.3 μg/h, respectively. The trapping and release rate data were consistent with competitive attraction as the mechanism mediating disruption. Shoot injury following the first moth generation was sevenfold less in SPLAT-OFM treated blocks compared with controls and fruit injury at the end of the season in treated blocks was approximately half of that recorded in controls.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Krista Buehrer and Elizabeth Steere for diligent maintenance of insect colonies and for assistance with trap maintenance and tethering of female moths. We are very grateful to Bill Erwin for allowing us to use his orchards as experimental sites and for his help in pruning and mowing unmanaged portions of his orchards free of charge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    L. L. Stelinski, J. R. Miller, P. Siegert & L. J. Gut

  2. Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    R. Ledebuhr

  3. Citrus Research and Education Center, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA

    L. L. Stelinski

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  1. L. L. Stelinski
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Correspondence to L. L. Stelinski.

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Stelinski, L.L., Miller, J.R., Ledebuhr, R. et al. Season-long mating disruption of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by one machine application of pheromone in wax drops (SPLAT-OFM). J Pest Sci 80, 109–117 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-007-0162-0

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