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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #345435
Research Project: Systems Approach for Managing Emerging Insect Pests and Insect-Transmitted Pathogens of Potatoes

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Early spring moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) captured in traps baited with (Z)-11-hexadecenal

Author
item Landolt, Peter
item Elmquist, Dane
item ZACK, RICHARD - Washington State University

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2018
Publication Date: 12/1/2018
Citation: Landolt, P.J., Elmquist, D.C., Zack, R.S. 2018. Early spring moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) captured in traps baited with (Z)-11-hexadecenal. Florida Entomologist. 101(4):692-694. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.101.0409.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1653/024.101.0409

Interpretive Summary: Cutworms, armyworms and loopers are larvae of moths that can severely damage agricultural crops, including potato. Pheromone-baited traps are used to detect and monitor the adult moths stage of these pests as part of integrated pest management programs. Researchers at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Wapato, Washington are working to improve the effectiveness of monitoring programs for these moths, including better knowledge of non-target responders to monitoring traps. Experiments evaluated the species of moths responding to (Z)-11-hexadecenal in riparian habitats adjacent to irrigated agriculture, to identify species that could complicate pest monitoring. It was found that three species of Noctuidae moths were consistently captured in traps baited with (Z)-11-hexadecenal, which is part of the pheromone of several major pest species. These are Egira rubrica, Stretchia plusaiformis and Annaphila danisticta. This information will be useful to growers and pest managers who will need to consider the potential for multiple species of moths captured in traps with this chemicals, and to properly sort and identify trapped moths.

Technical Abstract: (Z) -11-hexadecenal (Z11-16ALD) is a component of the sex pheromone of a number of moths, including major crop pests such as species of Helicoverpa and Heliothis. We placed traps baited with this compound in early spring in low elevation riparian habitats of eastern Washington to determine additional species of moths that respond to the chemical as a sex attractant. Numbers of males of three Noctuidae, Egira rubrica (Harvey 1878), Stretchia plusiaeformis (Hy. Edwards, 1874), and Annaphila danisticta (Grote 1873), were captured in traps baited with Z11-16ALD at multiple sites, while no moths were captured in unbaited traps. We suggest that the chemical functions as a sex attractant for these species. Information on these moths as non-target responders to monitoring traps might reduce confusion and false positive trap catches where these three species overlap in time and space with pest moths monitored with lures releasing Z11-16ALD.