Grapholita molesta V-ATPase D acts as a susceptibility determinant of larvae to Bt Cry2Ab toxin.

Grapholita molesta is a major fruit tree pest. Host plant volatiles act as chemical cues to mediate female oviposition. This study investigated the recognition of ovipositing G. molesta females for pear volatile blends based on age-dependent olfactory plasticity. Results showed that mated females exhibited a distinct reproduction-flight coordination window optimized at 2 days of age. Olfactory gene expression in female antennae depended on the postmating age. Nine odorant receptor (OR) genes were upregulated at 3 vs. 9 days postmating (DPM), with stronger antennal responses to trace-level odorants. RNA interference targeting ORs, especially GmolOR46, reduced antennal responses and oviposition preference at 3 DPM. Mature pears emitted more volatiles than apples, especially after mechanical injury. Females at 3 DPM were attracted to volatiles from intact or injured mature pears, particularly at high concentrations. They increased field moth catches. Our findings reveal that pear volatiles have potential as attractants for G. molesta.

Climate change can reshape the potential distributions of crops and their pests, as well as their spatial overlap, with important implications for agricultural security and pest management. Rosa. roxburghii, a key specialty crop in southwestern China, is threatened by its primary pest, Grapholita molesta. Here, we used occurrence records and WorldClim bioclimatic variables to model the potential distributions of both species under current (1970-2000) and future (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, 2061-2080) climates via a parameter-optimized MaxEnt model, and analyzed spatial overlap across suitability levels. Model performance was assessed with ENMeval and the continuous Boyce index. Results show that the minimum temperature of the coldest month (bio6) is the main climatic constraint for both species, with R. roxburghii influenced by multiple factors and G. molesta primarily limited by winter low-temperature thresholds. Currently, R. roxburghii's suitable areas are smaller and mainly concentrated in southwestern and central China, whereas G. molesta has a much broader potential distribution across China. Although the overall co-occurrence area spans most of the suitable range of R. roxburghii, the majority of this overlap occurs in low-suitability zones, indicating a generally low probability of co-occurrence across much of the distribution. The overlap of highly suitable areas (HSA) between the two species is extremely limited, covering only ~28,800 km² (~0.3% of China's land area), suggesting that potential high-risk areas are spatially restricted rather than widespread. Under future scenarios, R. roxburghii's highly suitable areas are projected to contract and fragment, whereas G. molesta's range expands northward. However, the overlap of moderate and highly suitable areas between the two species does not increase and even declines, suggesting that future pest risk is likely to become spatially restructured, concentrating in specific regions rather than intensifying across the entire distribution range. These findings elucidate differences in climatic niche and climate sensitivity between crop and pest, providing a scientific basis for targeted pest management and optimized R. roxburghii cultivation.

One of the most notorious pests, Grapholita molesta, has caused serious economic damage in apples. However, its phenology model with a defined equation during whole apple crop season has not been developed yet. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop a phenology model of G. molesta adult to predict its current and future occurrence patterns. The 1,087 occurrence data sets of G. molesta adults from 2013 to 2023 were collected from the Rural Development Administration in Korea. Temperature data of each occurrence data set of G. molesta were collected from the Korea Meteorological Administration. The phenology model of G. molesta adults were developed with the data sets from 2013 to 2023 with four-peaked Weibull functions. When validated with independent 2024 data, the model developed in this study accurately predicted adult occurrence and reduced prediction errors (in days) for G. molesta in Korean commercial apple orchards compared to previous studies. The model predicts that G. molesta adults will emerge earlier under climate change scenarios compared to current conditions. In conclusion, this study provides valuable information for controlling G. molesta populations in apple orchards.

The codling moth ( Cydia pomonella ) is the most serious pest of apple and pear orchards worldwide and has been designated as a quarantine or regulated pest by over 20 countries or regions globally. Morphological identification of the codling moth is highly specialized and time-consuming. In apple and pear production process, codling moth usually coexists with other insect species, including Carposina niponensis , Dichocrocis punctiferalis , Euzophera pyriella , Grapholita molesta , and Helicoverpa armigera , and sometimes the adults of Cydia trasias and Plutella xylostella ; these moth species are morphologically similar to codling moth, especially in the pre-adult stages (e.g., egg, larva, and pupa) of them. This study provides an effective solution for distinguishing the codling moth from other insect species with similar appearances automatically; a new Transformer-based model, known as Cont-Transformer, is proposed. Specifically, contrastive learning is introduced to improve distinguishing ability, which contributes to minimizing the similarity of classification labels corresponding to different labels and maximizing the similarity of classification labels of samples with the same label. The cross-entropy loss and contrastive loss are combined to guide the model in focusing on the most discriminative regions. Furthermore, we systematically analyzed various data augmentation strategies to bolster the model’s robustness and generalization, including AutoAugment, RandAugment, TrivialAugment, MixUp, and CutMix. We evaluated the proposed model architecture Cont-Transformer through comprehensive model training and testing on an insect image dataset containing 26 insect categories and a total of 14,431 images. The proposed recognition model achieved accuracy, precision, and recall rates of 99.45%, 99.40%, and 99.45%, respectively, outperforming eight other popular models, i.e., AlexNet, ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, ShuffleNet-v2, EfficientNet-b0, DeiT, MobileViT, and Swin Transformer. Moreover, the developed codling moth investigation program can identify various stages, including egg, larva, pupa, and adult, of these moth species. The present findings should be significant for precise pest control and quarantine supervision.

The yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis, is a destructive polyphagous pest and poses a severe threat to the fruit industry and field crops worldwide with its continuously increasing population and expanding host range in recent years. Despite the severe damage caused by C. punctiferalis larvae, their antennae and mouthparts, equipped with abundant sensilla responsible for feeding behavior, have not been investigated in detail. In our study, the antennae, mouthparts, and associated sensilla of first-instar and mature larvae of C. punctiferalis were examined with light and scanning electron microscopy. Our results revealed no obvious morphological differences between the two instars in the basic composition of the antennae and mouthparts, or in the types, distribution, and numbers of sensilla. The antenna is three-segmented, with no sensilla on the scape, three sensilla basiconica and two sensilla chaetica on the pedicel, and three sensilla basiconica and one sensillum styloconicum on the flagellum. The mouthparts of C. punctiferalis are typically mandibulate and consist of a labrum-epipharynx, paired mandibles, a pair of maxillae, a labium, and a hypopharynx. Six types of sensilla were primarily concentrated on the labrum-epipharynx, maxilla, and labial palp, including sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla digitiformia, sensilla epipharyngea, and sensilla placodea. We conducted a systematic analysis of the characteristics of sensilla and discussed their variation in the context of Lepidoptera phylogeny. The potential functions of the sensilla have also been inferred. The study could advance our understanding of the behavioral ecology of C. punctiferalis and provide potentially useful information on the development of pest control technologies.

Grapholita molesta, which causes fruit infestation damage, produces overlapping generations, making chemical control ineffective. Excessive pesticide use causes the "3R" problem, necessitating eco-friendly alternatives. Although Ocimum basilicum repels many pests, its effects on G. molesta are unclear. Olfactory, fruit infestation, and oviposition tests showed that O. basilicum repelled G. molesta and significantly reduced fruit infestation and egg laying. To identify the repellent compounds in O. basilicum, volatile compounds were extracted using headspace adsorption. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-electrophysiological detection identified four key components. Electroantennogram and behavioral assays showed that 6-methylhept-5-en-2-one (10 μL/mL), 2-ethyltoluene (0.1 μL/mL), styrene (0.1 μL/mL), and ethyl carbonate (1 μL/mL) mediated the repellent effect, significantly reducing G. molesta fruit infestation and egg production. 6-Methylhept-5-en-2-one was most effective, decreasing fruit infestation in the field and lab and total egg production. This study reveals the repellent mechanism of O. basilicum volatiles, supporting plant-based repellent development for sustainable pest control.

The oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a globally significant pest of fruit crops. Its management has long relied on abamectin, yet resistance evolution threatens its effectiveness. In this study, a laboratory relative susceptible strain (AM-S) was subjected to 19 consecutive generations of selection with abamectin, resulting in a resistant strain (AM-R) showing a 132.5-fold increase in LD50. The AM-R strain displayed significant cross-resistance to emamectin benzoate (43.8-fold), imidacloprid (16.5-fold), but little to no cross-resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, thiamethoxam, or chlorpyrifos. Genetic analyses indicated that abamectin resistance was autosomal, incompletely dominant (D = 0.11-0.30), and polygenic, as shown by significant deviations from monogenic inheritance in backcross tests. Resistance incurred substantial fitness costs, including extended larval and pupal durations, reduced larval and pupal weights (by 20-25%), lower fecundity (1.45-fold fewer eggs), and shortened adult longevity. Synergism assays revealed that piperonyl butoxide (SR = 2.87) and diethyl maleate (SR = 2.23) significantly enhanced abamectin toxicity, and biochemical assays showed 3.65-fold higher cytochrome P450 and 2.75-fold higher glutathione S-transferase activities in the resistant strain, implicating metabolic detoxification as the major mechanism. These results demonstrate that abamectin resistance in G. molesta evolves rapidly under continuous exposure, is polyfactorial and metabolically mediated, and imposes measurable biological trade-offs. Together, these insights clarify how physiological trade-offs and metabolic adaptation shape abamectin resistance in G. molesta, informing longer-term strategies for more sustainable pest management systems.

The oriental fruit moth (OFM), also known as Grapholita molesta, is a major agricultural pest causing significant economic loss of apple growers in South Korea. This study demonstrates the application of time series models for describing the national and regional patterns of OFM occurrences in the last decade and for forecasting future OFM occurrences. The seasonal autoregression integrated moving average (SARIMA), Prophet, and vector autoregressive (VAR) models are compared for both long- and short-term predictions. The analysis shows that short-term predictions are more reliable than long-term predictions for the number of OMF trap catches, and the multivariate time series model does not necessarily provide better predictive performance with province-level aggregated data. Though the Prophet and VAR model fits bimonthly province-level data better than the SARIMA model, the VAR model shows poor predictive performance, and the SARIMA model showed as or more reliable predictions than the Prophet model in this study. This study presents both the potential and challenges for establishing a Smart Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system capable of monitoring and predicting OFM occurrences and implementing regional pest control strategies. The usefulness of time series analysis can be leveraged by frequent orchard-level data reporting, pest management records, and precise local environment information.

CRISPR/Cas9-based evidence that overexpression of Gm-mGST1 mediates abamectin resistance in the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of rainfall and drying time on the efficacy of two chemical insecticides used to control the oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta; Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in apple orchards. The study was carried out at the Temperate Climate Fruit Experimental Station of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Uva e Vinho) in Vacaria, RS, Brazil, in a 0.4‑hectare orchard with 7‑ and 8‑year‑old Gala and Fuji apple trees during the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 production cycles. A Swanson‑type rainfall simulator was employed to reproduce rainfall events under commercial orchard conditions. Simulated rainfall at intensities of 10 or 50 mm h⁻¹ did not reduce the overall efficacy of insecticide control within 1 hour after precipitation. Notably, control efficacy increased during the first 30 minutes of rainfall, likely due to the redistribution of pesticides across plant surfaces. A drying period of 6 hours for both phosmet and chlorantraniliprole was sufficient to maintain insecticide performance, regardless of rainfall intensity. These findings provide practical guidance for apple growers, supporting informed decision‑making regarding the optimal timing for insecticide reapplication under varying rainfall conditions.

The voltage-gated sodium channel mutation and detoxification enzymes associated with the resistance of Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to lambda-cyhalothrin.

To develop ecological and organic gardening technologies, it is important to study the entomofauna of agrocenoses and ecosystems. The aim of the research is to study biodiversity using various devices and methods in new and fruiting apple orchards. Monitoring included visual counts, mowing with an entomological net, pheromone traps, and light traps. The research was carried out in organic, new and fruiting apple orchards from 2024 to 2025 in the suburbs of Krasnodar. When analyzing the results of the material obtained with various methods in 2024-2025, 47 phytophagous species from 10 orders feeding on apple trees were registered, 14 of which were the most dangerous, for all types of fruiting orchards. Using pheromone traps, the flight characteristics of three species of codling moths: apple Cydia pomonella the oriental Grapholita molesta and the plum Grapholita funebrana were determined for new and fruiting orchards. When monitoring light traps, Lepidoptera species from 14 families were the most diverse and abundant. The majority belonged to the family Noctuidae, comprising 15 species. The total number of the Noctuidae family representatives was 854, of which 499 were found in the fruiting orchard and 355 in the new one. A total of 79 insect species were recorded, 71 of which were in the fruiting apple orchard and 74 in the new one. Primary consumers (phytophages) accounted for 59.15% and 56.76%, in the fruiting apple orchard and new one, respectively. Insects from the Lepidoptera order, neutral to apple trees but harmful to other crops, were identified: three species of Noctuidae, four species of Pyraustidae, and a food-storage pests from Pyralidae. Processing the obtained data using the Margalef diversity index revealed that the difference in both orchards was insignificant: 4.8 ± 0.7 in the fruiting orchard and 4.4 ± 0.9 in the new orchard. This indicates a depleted insect fauna.

The study reports the first record of the tortricid moth Pammene blockiana from Russia. Its males were captured in Sochi in May 2025 in pheromone traps baited with the synthetic sex pheromone of the quarantine pest, the Oriental fruit moth Grapholita molesta. A total of 48 males of P. blockiana were collected from seven traps deployed in gardens and ornamental tree plantings in Sochi. The species was identified based on morphology (forewing pattern and genitalia) and DNA barcoding. The specimens from Sochi showed low genetic variability (0.2 % among three males from three sites) and clustered with individuals from Greece, with a maximum genetic distance of 1.4 %. In DNA-barcoding fragment, Pammene oxycedrana was the closest to P. blockiana, with a minimum genetic distance of 5.4 %, followed by Pammene juniperana (7.1 %). Regular catches in the pheromone traps suggest that P. blockiana is established and potentially abundant in Sochi. As its larvae damage cones of Cupressus and Juniperus, the species may represent a potential threat to Cupressaceae in man-made plantings and nature along the Black Sea coast. New data on the species distribution and the photographs of moth and male genitalia of P. blockiana, as well as the photographs of the related moth species are provided. The species diagnosis is given to distinguish P. blockiana from closely related species associated with Cupressaceae in Europe. Possible ecological consequences and the risk of further spread of P. blockiana are discussed.

Aim: The Shoot and Capsule Borer (SCB), also known as the yellow peach moth (Conogethes punctiferalis), is a major pest of castor, causing significant yield losses by damaging the plant's inflorescence (spike). This study was conducted to precisely determine the relationship between morphological features (inflorescence morphology) and the incidence of Shoot and Capsule Borer (SCB) and to study the inheritance pattern. Study Design: Randomized complete block design with two replications were followed. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in ICAR- Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (IIOR), Hyderabad, India, during 2022-2023. Methodology: In August 2023, the P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1P1, and BC1P2 generations of the DCS-9 × RG-2774 cross was planted at ICAR-IIOR. These generations were replicated twice. The number of plants observed varied across generations, with 60 plants from the parental generations, 280 from the F2 generation, and 60 each from the F1, BC1P1, and BC1P2 generations. Data were recorded on per cent capsule borer damage and on the Spike morphological characters. The genetic variability and inheritance were calculated. Results: The trait percent capsule borer incidence exhibited high phenotypic (PCV = 49.17%) and genotypic (GCV = 41.16%) coefficients of variation, indicating considerable variability within the population. High heritability (70.70%) coupled with high genetic advance (70.35%) was observed. Point-biserial correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between spine on capsules and capsule damage (r = 0.360), as well as between presence or absence of bloom and capsule damage (r = 0.270). Spininess of capsules appeared to be a codominant trait, while compactness of the spike showed evidence of dominance. The continuous distribution observed in the F2 population supports the quantitative nature of capsule borer resistance, indicating that the trait is likely governed by multiple genes. Conclusion: This genetic variability and inheritance pattern provide a strong basis for developing castor lines with improved resistance to the capsule borer.

Abamectin has been used for decades as an insecticide and acaricide in arthropod pest management. However, there is no direct evidence from CRISPR/Cas9 studies confirming the involvement of GSTs in insect resistance to abamectin. The oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, is a destructive pest of fruit trees worldwide. The role of GSTs in the oriental fruit moth remains unclear. In this study, an abamectin-resistant strain (AB-R) was derived from a susceptible laboratory strain (AB-S) of G. molesta. Synergist bioassays showed that the GST inhibitor diethyl maleate (DEM) significantly increased abamectin toxicity in AB-R. Biochemical assays indicated that glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in AB-R was 1.63-fold higher than in AB-S. Among 25 GST genes examined, GmGSTs2 showed the largest expression difference between AB-R and AB-S and was expressed across developmental stages and body parts. Recombinant GmGSTs2 significantly reduced the effective quantity of abamectin in vitro. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of GmGSTs2 in both genetic backgrounds increased susceptibility to abamectin and significantly affected the development and survival of G. molesta. The transgenic Drosophila melanogaster strain expressing GmGSTs2 showed an LC50 of 74.12 mg L-1 (34.59-126.63) versus 25.48 mg L-1 (12.28-39.82) in W1118 controls, indicating a 2.91-fold difference. Together, synergism assays, enzyme activity measurements, in vitro metabolism, CRISPR knockout in both resistant and susceptible backgrounds, and a heterologous in vivo assay identify GmGSTs2 as a key metabolic driver of abamectin resistance in G. molesta, providing a practical target for resistance management.

The oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta, Lepidoptera: Tortricidae, OFM) is a major pest causing significant economic damage to peach (Prunus persica, Rosales: Rosaceae) and stone fruits in South Korea. This study aimed to describe spatio-temperal patterns of the OFM population in South Korea, forecast the OFM population using time series models, evaluate their predictive performance, and provide data-driven guidance for region-specific targeted pest management strategies. This study presents the first spatio-temporal time series analysis for predicting OFM population dynamics in peach orchards using sex pheromone trap data (Z8-dodecenyl acetate, E8-dodecenyl acetate, and Z8-dodecenol in a ratio of 88.5:5.7:1.0) collected bimonthly between May and September for ten years (2016-2025). We compared the predictive performance of Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) and Prophet models across three major peach-producing provinces in South Korea: Gyeonggi (GG), Gyeongsangbuk (GB), and Chungcheongbuk (CB). The SARIMA and Prophet models were considered because the OFM generations follow temporal trend and seasonal patterns, and these time series models are flexible to describe and predict them. The Prophet model consistently outperformed the SARIMA model in all three provinces according to multiple evaluation metrics. The time series decomposition revealed a shift from traditional multi-peak (W-shaped) patterns to single-peak patterns of the OFM occurrence, where the mass emergence usually occurs in early May. This phenological shift appears to be driven by climate changes (warmer winters and rising temperatures in the spring) coupled with varying pesticide application strategies. Spatio-temporal analysis demonstrated regional-specific variations. The province of GB maintained low OFM populations through aggressive chemical control following a major outbreak in 2016, and the province of GG showed the highest predicted occurrence in 2026. These findings highlight the importance of region-specific pest management strategies, particularly for controlling the first-generation OFM population. The predictive time series models are valuable tools for establishing smart integrated pest management systems, enabling proactive control measures tailored to regional characteristics.

V-ATPase B mediates Bt Cry1Ac binding and toxicity in Grapholita molesta.

Feasibility of using X-ray to irradiate adult for control of the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta in orchards

Different detoxification strategies of fruit borers adaptation to quercetin.