Application Of Mating Disruption Research Articles

Pheromone-based auto-confusion for mating disruption of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in structures with raw and processed grain products

Experiments are reported using an auto-confusion formulation of a sex pheromone for mating disruption of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). A seed warehouse and a pet food store were selected for mating disruption (MD) treatment using an auto-confusion formulation named Exosex® SP Tab dispensers, while a pilot feed and a pilot flour mill were used as untreated controls. In the two buildings selected for mating disruption, the occurrence of P. interpunctella males after the application of MD was significantly reduced, as compared with the occurrence of this species before MD. The number of moths captured in all treated facilities ranged between 20 and 25 moths/trap on the first and second week of the trial respectively, while those number of moths captured on the traps in the seed warehouse decreased to an average of 5.1 moths/trap on the third week after MD dispensers were deployed. After the start of mating disruption on week 3, the number of moths captured gradually increased in the seed warehouse between May and July and peaked at week 10. The highest number of moths was recorded from early September to early October in the pet food store. All the parameters including the facilities, trap locations and weeks differed significantly in the mating disruption trials. The patterns of population fluctuation indicated that moth captures were reduced when the MD was applied in the 3rd week in all the facilities and remained constant throughout the trials with a few exceptions. There were no significant differences in larval numbers in oviposition traps between the treated and the untreated areas, with the exception of the seed warehouse for which fewer larvae were found in the treated time. The present study illustrates potential for mating disruption via auto-confusion system in reducing the population densities of P. interpunctella.

Production of moth sex pheromones for pest control by yeast fermentation

The use of insect sex pheromones is an alternative technology for pest control in agriculture and forestry, which, in contrast to insecticides, does not have adverse effects on human health or environment and is efficient also against insecticide-resistant insect populations. Due to the high cost of chemically synthesized pheromones, mating disruption applications are currently primarily targeting higher value crops, such as fruits. Here we demonstrate a biotechnological method for the production of (Z)-hexadec-11-en-1-ol and (Z)-tetradec-9-en-1-ol, using engineered yeast cell factories. These unsaturated fatty alcohols are pheromone components or the immediate precursors of pheromone components of several economically important moth pests. Biosynthetic pathways towards several pheromones or their precursors were reconstructed in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which was further metabolically engineered for improved pheromone biosynthesis by decreasing fatty alcohol degradation and downregulating storage lipid accumulation. The sex pheromone of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera was produced by oxidation of fermented fatty alcohols into corresponding aldehydes. The resulting yeast-derived pheromone was just as efficient and specific for trapping of H. armigera male moths in cotton fields in Greece as a conventionally produced synthetic pheromone mixture. We further demonstrated the production of (Z)-tetradec-9-en-1-yl acetate, the main pheromone component of the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda. Taken together our work describes a biotech platform for the production of commercially relevant titres of moth pheromones for pest control via yeast fermentation.

Ground application of mating disruption against the gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)

AbstractThe gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is a non‐native defoliating insect that continues to expand its range in North America and undergo periodic outbreaks. In management efforts to suppress outbreaks, slow its spread and eradicate populations that arrive outside of the invaded range, aerial deployments of mating disruption tactics and pesticides are generally used. However, in some cases, such as in heavily urbanized areas or other landscapes where aerial deployments are not feasible or permitted, ground applications are required. Ground applications tend to be labour‐intensive to ensure adequate coverage. To better inform optimal deployment of ground applications of mating disruption, we measured the effectiveness of a pheromone formulation designed for ground application, SPLAT® GM, in forested areas of Virginia from 2011 to 2014 using different dosages and number of point applications. We observed that SPLAT® GM applied to the tree trunks at the dosages of 49.4 and 123.6 g AI/ha in 11 × 11 systematic grids (i.e., every 11 m) reduced male trap catch by >90% relative to untreated control plots, which based on previous studies corresponds to >95% reduction in gypsy moth mating success. Our observations suggest that ground applications of gypsy moth mating disruption can be a successful management tool when circumstances require it.

Managing the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus, through pheromone-mediated mating disruption.

The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a key insect pest of vineyards. While pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) has been successfully tested against a wide range of insect pests, knowledge about its efficacy against key mealybug species, such as P. ficus, is scarce. In this study, a novel MD product, Isonet® PF, was evaluated by testing 300, 400, and 500 dispensers/ha at four study sites located in Northern (Veneto) and Southern (Sicily) Italy. Experiments were carried out over 2years by monitoring the mealybug populations in wine grape and table grape vineyards managed with and without the application of MD. Pheromone dispensers were periodically collected during the grapevine-growing season, extracted, and analyzed by GC-MS, to determine their pheromone content and the release in mg/ha/day. The results showed that use of the MD dispenser Isonet® PF reduced the percentage of VMB-infested bunches and the number of VMB specimens per bunch compared with the untreated controls. This was recorded over 2years at all experimental sites. Differences in the incidence of infested bunches among the three tested rates of Isonet® PF were not detected. Overall, the results presented here contribute to optimizing the sex pheromone dosage used in MD control programs against VMB allowing a reduction of broad-spectrum insecticides currently employed to manage this important pest.

Mating disruption of Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in a storage facility: Spatio-temporal distribution changed after long-term application

In the present study, we evaluated the application of mating disruption (MD) for stored-product Pyralidae in a large storage facility of amylaceous products in central Greece. Dispensers were placed in late 2010 until fall 2015, and the stored-product Pyralidae populations were monitored by using pheromone-baited sticky traps and Petri dishes containing semolina were used as oviposition traps. The infesting species that was found was the Mediterranean flour moth, E. kuehniella (Zeller). After the application of MD, the numbers of adult males found on the pheromone-baited traps were reduced in the MD-treated facility, as compared with the untreated (UTC), no MD, facility. Similarly, the numbers of larvae in the oviposition traps were also reduced, as compared with the UTC facility. During the successive years of MD deployment, there was a noticeable decrease in the number of Ephestia kuehniella male adults in the MD-treated facility, but the high density areas, and the infestation foci, were different among years. Hence, in 2014, the majority of the male adults were found at the areas where some years earlier, during the beginning of MD, there were no individuals, or their numbers were low. This suggests that, despite the effectiveness of the method, may be a spatial displacement to other areas. This fact could eventually alter the monitoring protocol, as new infestation foci may occur.

Mating disruption of Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) in stored product habitats using the synthetic pheromone serricornin

AbstractCigarette beetles, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), cause significant damage to the multibillion dollar food and tobacco industries worldwide each year. A non‐insecticidal alternative to manage L. serricorne is the application of mating disruption, in which high levels of synthetic sex pheromone are released to create an atmosphere that results in males failing to mate females, thereby causing population suppression or extinction. The reported work used synthetic serricornin, the predominant sex pheromone of L. serricorne, in mating disruption trials conducted in selected food‐ and feed‐processing facilities in South Carolina during 2010 and 2011. Mills subjected to mating disruption trials were monitored using oviposition cups filled with larval food and pheromone traps for males that contained monitoring lures. Immediately after deployment of mating disruption dispensers, trap captures declined significantly and indicated a reduction in population levels, that is, there was ‘trap shutdown’. A significant reduction was observed in numbers of adult beetles caught in the traps 8 weeks before and 8 weeks after treatment in both years. Beetle numbers from pheromone traps in untreated buildings remained at similar levels or increased after the time of mating disruption deployment in treated buildings. The numbers of adults that emerged from oviposition food cups were generally low and varied irregularly in treated and untreated buildings and were determined to be of little value for assessing treatment effects on reproduction. These initial field studies in the USA suggest that release of the synthetic sex pheromone of L. serricorne for mating disruption can significantly inhibit proper orientation behaviour of male L. serricorne to females and may lead to pest population decline from mating disruption.

Codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., colonisation of a newly-planted organic pome fruit orchard in Central Otago, New Zealand, and methods of pest management over the first ten years

An organic orchard was planted at the Clyde Research Centre, Central Otago, from 1991 to 1993 on land not previously used for fruit-growing. The orchard comprised nine discrete 0.22ha well-sheltered apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivar blocks with wide headlands, in a total land area of 3ha. Colonisation of the orchard by codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) was monitored using pheromone traps and by recording larval damage to the fruit, initially, from examination of the entire crop of all the trees, then later a sample of the trees whose locations were noted. This facilitated a 3-dimensional record of orchard colonisation. Detailed examination of damage enabled estimation of the numbers of damaging larvae, their mortality in the fruit, and the numbers of larvae which survived to seek cocooning sites. A low density of 3–6 female codling moths was estimated to be present in the 2ha of planted orchard area in the first cropping season (1993–94). A major increase in trap catches and larval damage in 1995–96 prompted the application of mating disruption in the following years. Although successful in reducing the population for the first two seasons, codling moth then increased again and granulosis virus (CMGV) was added to the management programme. Three full rate sprays of the CMGV applied to the three central rows of each cultivar block in 1998–99 halved the percentage of fruit with surviving larvae to 0.7% in the treated trees. This fell to 0.2% in 1999–2000 following 13 applications of CMGV at 1/5th rate to the whole orchard. In 2000–01, when mating disruption was again used alone against a low density population, only one surviving larva was found in a sample of 11,841 fruits (0.05%). The complementary management options provided by mating disruption and CMGV are discussed, as well as the importance of minimising the sources of immigrant codling moths near organic orchards.

Suppression of Leopard Moth (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) Populations in Olive Trees in Egypt Through Mating Disruption

The leopard moth, Zeuzera pyrina (L.) (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), is a damaging pest for many fruit trees (e.g., apple [Malus spp.], pear [Pyrus spp.] peach [Prunus spp.], and olive [Olea]). Recently, it caused serious yield losses in newly established olive orchards in Egypt, including the death of young trees. Chemical and biological control have shown limited efficiency against this pest. Field tests were conducted in 2005 and 2006 to evaluate mating disruption (MD) for the control of the leopard moth, on heavily infested, densely planted olive plots (336 trees per ha). The binary blend of the pheromone components (E,Z)-2,13-octadecenyl acetate and (E,Z)-3,13-octadecenyl acetate (95:5) was dispensed from polyethylene vials. Efficacy was measured considering reduction of catches in pheromone traps, reduction of active galleries of leopard moth per tree and fruit yield in the pheromone-treated plots (MD) compared with control plots (CO). Male captures in MD plots were reduced by 89.3% in 2005 and 82.9% in 2006, during a trapping period of 14 and 13 wk, respectively. Application of MD over two consecutive years progressively reduced the number of active galleries per tree in the third year where no sex pheromone was applied. In all years, larval galleries outnumbered moth captures. Fruit yield from trees where sex pheromone had been applied in 2005 and 2006 increased significantly in 2006 (98.8 +/- 2.9 kg per tree) and 2007 (23 +/- 1.3 kg per tree) compared with control ones (61.0 +/- 3.9 and 10.0 +/- 0.6 kg per tree, respectively). Mating disruption shows promising for suppressing leopard moth infestation in olives.

먹이트랩과 교미교란제 테두리처리를 통한 복숭아순나방 (Grapholita molesta (Busck)) 교미교란 상승효과

사과에 피해를 주는 복숭아순나방(Grapholita molesta)을 방제하기 위해서 합성 성페로몬을 이용한 교미교란 처리 기술이 이용되고 있다. 그러나 비교적 작은 규모의 사과원들이 인근에 몰려있고 이들의 경영이 독자적인 국내 상황을 고려할 때 이러한 교미교란제 처리에 의존한 복숭아순나방 방제 효율성에 의구심을 갖게 한다. 이는 인근의 교미교란제를 처리하지 않은 지역에서 교미한 복숭아순나방 암컷의 유입 가능성이 있기 때문이다. 본 연구는 특정 교미교란제 처리 지역에 있어 교미교란 효과의 사각지대를 줄이고 교미한 암컷을 포획할 수 있는 테두리처리 기술을 개발하였다. 본 테두리처리 기술은 사과원 가장자리에 10 미터 간격으로 각각 교미교란제와 먹이트랩을 설치하면서 이러한 방제 효과를 거두려하였다. 교미교란제 처리와 더불어 태두리처리는 교미교란제만 처리한 포장에 비해 복숭아순나방에 의한 신초 및 과실에 미치는 피해를 뚜렷하게 줄일 수 있었다. 또한 본 연구는 이러한 교미교란제 처리의 효율을 높이기 위해 연중 처리 횟수를 결정하였다. 사과 재배 전체 기간을 통해 교미교란 효과를 유지하는 데 교미교란제 처리는 테두리처리와 함께 3월 말과 7월 초의 2회 처리가 필요하였다. Mating disruption (MD) using synthetic sex pheromone lures has been used to control the Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck), in apple orchards. In Korea, where several small apple orchards are clustered but independently managed, its efficacy has been suspected mainly due to immigration of any mated females from nearby untreated cultivating areas. This study developed an edge treatment technique to decrease any local MD-free zones in a specific MD-treated farm and to trap any immigrating mated females by installing MD lures and food traps around the apple farm with 10 meter intervals. The addition of the edge treatment to the MD significantly prevented leaf and fruit damages induced by G. molesta compared to MD only. Moreover, this study tried to optimize the MD control technique by determining frequency of MD application. It suggests two MD applications with the edge treatment at the end of March and at the early of July to be effective throughout the entire apple growing seasons.

Combination of Mating Disruption and Granulosis Virus for Control of Codling Moth in Bulgaria

Combination of Mating Disruption and Granulosis Virus for Control of Codling Moth in Bulgaria An application of mating disruption by use of Ecodian CP dispensers (ISAGRO, Italy) in combination with the granulosis virus product Carpovirusine 2000 (Arysta LifeScience, France) against Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella, was tested near Plovdiv, Central South Bulgaria. In 2007, the method was applied in an orchard where in the previous year fruit damage reached 18.7% and the CM population was high, as indicated by 3.83 diapausing larvae per tree. Carpovirusine was applied 11 times in the trial plot in combination with Ecodian CP dispensers installed twice during the season. Before harvest, fruit damage in the trial plot amounted to 0.9% and the overwintering population in autumn 2007 was only 0.46 larvae per tree. At the same time in the reference orchard, where 15 insecticide treatments were applied during the season, fruit damage before harvest reached 12.3% and the hibernating population was 7.97 larvae per tree. So, it has been confirmed that combination of both methods might be an effective tool for control of codling moth in the orchards with high population density and resistance to conventional insecticides. This study is being continued.

RAPD 분자지표를 이용한 복숭아순나방(Grapholita molesta)의 집단 유전적 변동 분석

복숭아순나방(Grapholita molesta)은 사과에 주요 해충이다. 이 해충을 환경친화형 방법으로 방제하기 위해 성페로몬을 이용한 교미교란제 처리 기술이 개발되고 있다. 광범위한 영역에 대한 교미교란제의 처리는 복숭아순나방 방제에 효과적이나 이러한 광범위영역에 대한 구체적 크기를 결정하는 방법은 알려지지 않았다. 이를 결정하기 위해서는 복숭아순나방의 교미행동 범위를 결정할 수 있는 방법이 개발되어야 하며, 이를 위해 복숭아순나방의 이동을 추적할 수 있는 분자지표의 개발이 필요하게 되었다. 본 연구는 RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) 기술을 이용하여 효과적인 두 개의 분자지표를 개발하였다. 상이한 지역과 시기에 따라 구분되는 야외 복숭아순나방 집단들에 대해서 이들 분자지표를 이용하여 집단 유전 분석이 실시되었다 이들 분자지표들은 특정지역에서 복숭아순나방 집단들이 시기적으로 유전적 조성에 뚜렷한 차이를 보여 주었다. 또한 서로 다른 지역의 복숭아순나방 집단들은 거리에 따라 상대적으로 차이가 증가하였지만, 계절이 진행함에 따라 그 차이가 감소하였다. Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, is a serious pest on apples. To control this pest in an environmentally friendly method, mating disruption strategy using sex pheromone has been developed. Area-wide application of mating disruption has been needed to be effective, with little understanding on how much size of apple cultivating area should be treated in one time application of the mating disruption technique. On this matter, we needed to determine a minimal mating active zone of G. molesta that should be applied with mating disrupters to be effective. Molecular markers to discriminate a specific population should be developed to trace population migration for reproductive behaviors. Here we developed two effective molecular markers using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Different field populations of G. molesta, based on locations and seasons, were analyzed with these markers. In a specific location, G. molesta populations varied in genetic composition with different seasons. Different local populations showed differential variation according to their relative distances among apple orchards. In overall, genetic variation among different populations became lessen with progression of seasons.

Evaluation of Long-Term Mating Disruption of Ephestia kuehniella and Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Indoor Storage Facilities by Pheromone Traps and Monitoring of Relative Aerial Concentrations of Pheromone

The potential for pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) of Ephestia kuehniella (Walker) and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was investigated in two flour mills and a pet food distributor. Plastic sachets emitting 2–3 mg per d (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, the major pheromone component of both moth species, were used as MD dispensers, which were applied in grid systems resulting in one dispenser per 100 m3 of air volume. Pheromone traps with sticky inserts were used to monitor moth population fluctuations. To monitor pheromone levels in the air before, during, and after the treatment, electroantennographic (EAG) measurements were performed using a portable device. All localities showed decreased trap catches after application of MD. In two localities with low initial population densities, trap catches were reduced immediately after application of MD and remained very low, even several months after the MD treatment was terminated. In contrast, in a locality with a higher initial population density the reduction in trap catches was slower, and trap catches increased again soon after the termination of the MD treatment. Electrophysiological data showed not only increased aerial levels of pheromone during the treatment period but also levels that were higher than during pretreatment, even 12 mo after removal of MD dispensers. The localities had good ventilation, and the memory effect observed indicates that the pheromone adhered to surfaces that subsequently functioned as secondary dispensers. Customer complaints registered by one of the mills were 49% less in 2004, after 2 yr of MD compared with 2002, the year before the treatments began.

Evaluation of Long-Term Mating Disruption of <I>Ephestia kuehniella</I> and <I>Plodia interpunctella</I> (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Indoor Storage Facilities by Pheromone Traps and Monitoring of Relative Aerial Concentrations of Pheromone

The potential for pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) of Ephestia kuehniella (Walker) and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was investigated in two flour mills and a pet food distributor. Plastic sachets emitting 2-3 mg per d (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, the major pheromone component of both moth species, were used as MD dispensers, which were applied in grid systems resulting in one dispenser per 100 m(3) of air volume. Pheromone traps with sticky inserts were used to monitor moth population fluctuations. To monitor pheromone levels in the air before, during, and after the treatment, electroantennographic (EAG) measurements were performed using a portable device. All localities showed decreased trap catches after application of MD. In two localities with low initial population densities, trap catches were reduced immediately after application of MD and remained very low, even several months after the MD treatment was terminated. In contrast, in a locality with a higher initial population density the reduction in trap catches was slower, and trap catches increased again soon after the termination of the MD treatment. Electrophysiological data showed not only increased aerial levels of pheromone during the treatment period but also levels that were higher than during pretreatment, even 12 mo after removal of MD dispensers. The localities had good ventilation, and the memory effect observed indicates that the pheromone adhered to surfaces that subsequently functioned as secondary dispensers. Customer complaints registered by one of the mills were 49% less in 2004, after 2 yr of MD compared with 2002, the year before the treatments began.

Effects of intentional gaps in spray coverage on the efficacy of gypsy moth mating disruption

Abstract: The study was conducted during 2001 and 2002 in forested areas in Virginia, US to examine the effects of gaps in coverage of pheromone on gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lep., Lymantriidae), mating disruption. Gypsy moth male moth catches in pheromone‐baited traps were significantly reduced in plots treated with the gypsy moth sex pheromone, disparlure, at an overall application rate of 37.5 g of active ingredient (AI)/ha but with untreated gaps of 30 or 90 m between 30‐m wide treated swaths. In one of the two plots with 90 m gaps, significantly more males were captured in traps in the untreated areas compared with the treated areas within the plot. However, in another plot, significant differences in trap catches between treated and untreated areas were not observed. No difference in male moth catches in the pheromone‐baited traps was observed between treated and untreated areas within the plots treated with 30 m gaps. Female mating success did not differ significantly between treated and untreated areas within the one plot in which it was measured. These results suggest that it may be possible to lower costs associated with gypsy moth mating disruption applications by alternating treated and untreated swaths, which would reduce flight time and fuel costs, without a reduction in efficacy.

Microparticle dispensers for the controlled release of insect pheromones.

The potential utility of micrometer-sized particles as controlled-release devices for the volatilization of insect pheromones for mating disruption applications is evaluated in this study for two pheromone/model compound systems (codlemone/1-dodecanol and disparlure/1,2-epoxyoctadecane). To expedite the measurement of release rates from these particle devices, two techniques based on thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have been exploited: isothermal TGA (I-TGA) at elevated temperatures (40-80 degrees C) with N(2) convection and volatilization temperature (VT) by dynamic TGA. A correlation between these two methods has been established. Samples that exhibit a higher VT provide a lower release rate from a particle substrate. Using these techniques, it has been demonstrated that chemical interactions between adsorbed liquids and particle surfaces may play a small role in defining release characteristics under conditions of low surface area, whereas parameters associated with total surface area and micropore structure appear to be much more significant in retarding evaporation for uncoated particles containing an adsorbed liquid. Additional regulation of release rates was achieved by coating the particle systems with water-soluble or water-dispersible polymers. By careful selection of particle porosity and coating composition, it is envisioned that the evaporation rate of pheromones can be tailored to specific insect control applications.

Variables Affecting Pheromone Concentration in Vineyards Treated for Mating Disruption of Grape Vine Moth Lobesia botrana

Airborne pheromone concentration in a field is one of the most important variables for the successful application of mating disruption in pest control. In the present paper, we estimated the pheromone concentration with field EAG recordings in vineyards and investigated parameters affecting concentration. Pheromone concentration showed a positive correlation with number of dispensers per hectare (= number of point sources). A twofold increase in the absolute number of dispensers per hectare with a constant number of point sources (two dispensers at the same location) did not significantly affect relative pheromone concentration. Measurements carried out in plots where dispensers had been applied at different heights showed highest relative pheromone concentrations in plots with dispensers at 0.1 m and 1.4 m above the ground. Those concentrations were not significantly different from each other, but were significantly higher than in plots where dispensers had been placed at a height of 2 m. Foliage of grape vines substantially affected the development of high pheromone concentrations. In summer, in vineyards with fully developed leaf canopy, significantly higher pheromone concentrations could be measured shortly after application of the dispensers compared to vineyards in spring with sparse vegetation. The decline of pheromone concentrations after removal of dispensers is significantly prolonged in full vegetation, showing the impact of plant canopy on pheromone concentrations. In contrast, ground cover between the grapevine rows did not significantly affect mean pheromone concentrations.