Phenyl propionate and sex pheromone for monitoring navel orangeworm in the presence of mating disruption

Authors: Burks, Charles - Chuck; KUENEN, L.P.S. - Retired ARS Employee; DAANE, KENT - University Of California

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2015
Publication Date: 4/1/2016
Citation: Burks, C.S., Kuenen, L., Daane, K.M. 2016. Phenyl propionate and sex pheromone for monitoring navel orangeworm in the presence of mating disruption. Journal of Economic Entomology. 109(2):958-961.

Interpretive Summary: The portion of California tree nut acreage under mating disruption has increased substantially in recent years. A pheromone lure has improved detection and monitoring of the navel orangeworm, but this lure is ineffective in the presence of mating disruption. We therefore examined use of the attractant phenyl propionate for this purpose. In the presence of mating disruption, moths were captured with phenyl propionate alone, but not with a commercial pheromone lure by itself. The use of both phenyl propionate and the pheromone lure together significantly increased capture compared to phenyl propionate alone. These data demonstrate that phenyl propionate is a promising candidate for development of a commercial lure for monitoring navel orangeworm in the presence of mating disruption.

Technical Abstract: The recent availability of sex pheromone lures for the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), improves options for monitoring this key pest in conventionally-managed almonds. These lures are, however, minimally effective in the presence of mating disruption. Experiments were conducted to determine if phenyl propionate (PPO), an attractant for the navel orangeworm, acts in an additive or synergistic manner when presented together with the pheromone. In the absence of mating disruption, traps baited with PPO captured significantly fewer adults than traps baited with a sex pheromone lure. There was no difference in the number of adults captured in traps with both attractants when mating disruption was not used. In the presence of mating disruption, pheromone traps were completely suppressed, yet traps with both pheromone and PPO captured significantly more adults than traps baited with only PPO. Traps with only PPO captured equal numbers of both sexes, whereas traps with both attractants had significantly more males. These findings demonstrate that PPO is likely to be useful for monitoring navel orangeworm in fields treated with mating disruption.