Influence of trap type, pheromone quantity and trapping location on capture of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the effect of trap design, pheromone quantity and trapping location on the capture of Pectinophora gossypiella in two cotton fields located in Central Greece. In the first field, three commercially available gossyplure-baited trap types were compared: two adhesive, Delta and Pherocon II, and the Funnel trap, on which moths are captured with the addition of a killing agent (DDVP strip). In the second field, Delta traps with 1, 2, 3 or 4 gossyplure lures were compared. Significant differences were noted among trap types. The Funnel traps caught approx. 4.2 and 29.9 times more moths compared to the Delta and the Pherocon II traps, respectively. The correlation of captures among the three trap types was positive and significant only until mid-July. On the other hand, throughout the entire trapping period (June–September), this correlation was significant only between the two adhesive trap types. No significant differences were noted among traps with different pheromone quantity. In addition, the correlation of captures among traps with different lure numbers was positive and significant during the entire trapping period. For both experimental fields, no significant differences were recorded between centrally located and peripheral traps, although a wider range of captures was recorded in the peripheral traps.