Control of Codling Moth in Apple and Pear with Sex Pheromone-Mediated Mating Disruption

Abstract

During 1987-1988 replicated 0.3-ha plots of apple and pear were used to measure the efficacy of sex pheromone-mediated mating disruption of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). Comparisons of fruit injury were made between pheromone-treated and untreated plots either with or without releases of field-collected moths. In IH87, one moth per tree was released twice during the season in two apple orchards and total season fruit injury in untreated plots ranged from 7.0 to 21.2%. Levels of fruit injury in the pheromonetreated plots were 1.0-4.0%. In 1988, either one moth was released per five trees three times during the season or no moths were released in replicated apple plots. Seasonal fruit injury ranges in untreated plots were 1.41-1,65% and 0.39-1.21% with and without moth releases, respectively. Correspondingly, levels of fruit injury in the pheromonetreated plots were 0.09-0.27% and 0.05-0.07% with and without moth releases, respectively. In 1988, fruit injury in the pheromone-treated and untreated pear plots with moth releases were 0.05 and 0.16%, respectively. Average emission levels of (E, E)-8,10- dodecadien-l-ol at dusk for a 14-d period after releases were 8.4-40.9 mg/ha per h each year. Spatial analysis of fruit injury showed that fruit injury was aggregated and moth movement within orchards was limited and not influenced by the presence of pheromone. Our data suggested that more fruit injury occurred on ‘Golden Delicious’ than ‘Red Delicious’.