MANAGING CODLING MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE) WITH AN INTERNAL GRID OF EITHER AEROSOL PUFFERS OR DISPENSER CLUSTERS PLUS BORDER APPLICATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL DISPENSERS

Authors: Knight, Alan

Submitted to: Journal of British Columbia Entomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2004
Publication Date: 12/15/2004
Citation: Knight, A.L. 2004. Managing codling moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) with an internal grid of either aerosol puffers or dispenser clusters plus border applications of individual dispensers. Journal of British Columbia Entomological Society. 101:69-77.

Interpretive Summary: New approaches are needed to reduce costs and improve effectiveness of sex pheromones to control codling moth. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato, Washington, treated orchards with a combination of hand-applied sex pheromone dispensers applied on the perimeter and an internal grid of either pressurized aerosol emitters (puffers) or clusters of dispensers. This design was coined I.H.E.L.P. (internal high emission low point). Puffers were placed in a grid at 1 per ha, while the dispenser clusters were applied at 4 - 8 per ha. No significant differences were found in levels of fruit injury in puffer-treated I.H.E.L.P. orchards paired with similar orchards treated with 500 Isomate-C PLUS dispensers per ha. No significant differences in fruit injury were found in orchards treated with the standard hand-applied application versus dispenser cluster-treated I.H.E.L.P. orchards with Isomate-C PLUS dispensers (100 per unit) placed in screened cages or Isomate-C TT dispensers (50 per unit) hung from plastic disks. The use of puffers appears to offer more opportunity than the use of clusters of dispensers in an I.H.E.L.P. design to lower the cost of codling moth management through reductions in sex pheromone puff volume and puffer density.

Technical Abstract: Field trials were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of hand-applied sex pheromone dispensers applied on the perimeter and an internal grid of either pressurized aerosol emitters (puffers) or clusters of dispensers (Isomate-C) for codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), control in apple. This design was coined I.H.E.L.P. (internal high emission low point). Puffers were placed in a grid at 1 per ha, while the dispenser clusters were applied at 4 - 8 per ha. Puffers were programmed to release either 240 or 360 mg (E, E)-8-10-dodecadienol (codlemone) per day in 48 puffs (every 15 min from 1500 ' 0300 h). Dispensers were grouped in clusters of 50 or 100 releasing 54 and 30 mg codlemone per d, respectively. No significant differences were found in levels of fruit injury in puffer-treated I.H.E.L.P. orchards paired with similar orchards treated with 500 Isomate-C PLUS dispensers per ha. No significant differences in fruit injury were found in orchards treated with the standard hand-applied application versus dispenser cluster-treated I.H.E.L.P. orchards with Isomate-C PLUS dispensers (100 per unit) placed in screened cages or Isomate-C TT dispensers (50 per unit) hung from plastic disks. Levels of fruit injury, however, were significantly higher in I.H.E.L.P. orchards treated with clusters of Isomate-C PLUS dispensers (100 per unit) hung from plastic disks versus the standard application of individual dispensers. Mean daily weight loss was significantly lower for Isomate-C PLUS dispensers placed in the edge or center of a cluster versus dispensers hung individually. No difference in weight loss was found for Isomate-C TT dispensers placed in clusters versus dispensers hung individually. The use of puffers appears to offer more opportunity than the use of clusters of dispensers in an I.H.E.L.P. design to lower the cost of codling moth management through reductions in sex pheromone puff volume and puffer density.