Abstract
The effects of funnel-trap color, trap height and pheromone formulation on the adult captures of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were evaluated in traps that were suspended in cotton fields in central Greece. Briefly, in a first trial, the efficacy of funnel traps of three different colors, i.e., green, striped (with black and white stripes) and white, was comparatively evaluated, whereas in a second trial green funnel traps were placed at three heights, i.e., 30, 60 and 90 cm from the ground. Finally, in a third trial we tested the efficiency of green funnel traps with three commercially available pheromone lures. Considering the overall captures, trap color and pheromone formulation affected male captures, whereas trap height had no influence. Captures notably increased in all traps from late August to mid-September. In total, the white funnel trap captured more moths than the green or striped funnel traps. Placement of the traps at different heights did not significantly affect captures, but seasonal differences were observed at individual dates during the trapping period. Barrettine’s pheromone lure provided significantly more captures than the other two (Russell, Trécé) in some of the trap-check dates. The results can be further utilized in the monitoring protocols of H. armigera in cotton fields.
Highlights
The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically serious pest with a wide host range comprising more than 180 cultivated and wild plant species [1]
This sex pheromone is used in pheromone traps, which can be used both for monitoring the insect population, as well as for mass trapping with good results [23,24,25,26,27,28,29]
The sowing of cotton was done in mid-April, followed by standard cultivation care, whereas the trapping period was initiated in early June and terminated in late September, 2018
Summary
The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically serious pest with a wide host range comprising more than 180 cultivated and wild plant species [1]. In northern Greece, H. armigera completes two or three generations per year, while for the rest of Greece the available data are inconclusive [8] The larvae of this species feed on all the reproductive and vegetative parts of cotton, showing a special preference to buds and bolls due to the high concentration of oxygen in these plant parts [1,9]. All of the above lead to significant production losses and to high control costs that exceed $5 million per year globally [10,11] This species has developed a considerable level of resistance to many groups of insecticides such as pyrethroids, organophosphate and carbamate [12,13,14,15]. This sex pheromone is used in pheromone traps, which can be used both for monitoring the insect population, as well as for mass trapping with good results [23,24,25,26,27,28,29]
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