A Binary Host Plant Volatile Lure Combined With Acetic Acid to Monitor Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Entomology
• Chemical Ecology

Background:

• Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a major pest in apple and pear orchards worldwide.
• Effective monitoring is crucial for integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of host plant volatile lures (pear ester, nonatriene) and acetic acid for codling moth monitoring.
• To assess the combined effect of these lures with codlemone (sex pheromone) in different orchard management scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Field studies conducted in the United States, Hungary, and New Zealand.
• Traps baited with various combinations of pear ester, nonatriene, acetic acid, and codlemone were deployed.
• Trap catches of male, female, and total codling moths were compared across different treatments and orchard management types.

Main Results:

• Traps with pear ester/nonatriene + acetic acid caught more moths than pear ester + acetic acid alone in some assays.
• Traps with codlemone/pear ester/nonatriene + acetic acid showed higher catches than codlemone/pear ester + acetic acid in some assays.
• Increased catches of female moths were observed with the binary host plant volatile blend plus acetic acid.

Conclusions:

• Monitoring codling moth can be marginally improved with binary host plant volatile lures and acetic acid, particularly when combined with codlemone.
• These findings are most significant in orchards using combinational dispensers (codlemone/pear ester).
• Enhanced trap catches of females suggest potential for more effective mass trapping strategies.