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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370104
Research Project: Cranberry Genetics and Insect Management

Location: Vegetable Crops Research

Title: New technology for mating disruption of cranberry fruitworm and Sparganothis fruitworm

Author
item Steffan, Shawn
item CHASEN, ELISSA - Former ARS Employee
item SHORT, BRENT - Trece, Inc
item LINGREN, BILL - Trece, Inc

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: New pheromone-delivery systems were examined within the cranberry marshlands of central and northern Wisconsin, USA. The top two pest species, Acrobasis vaccinii (i.e., the cranberry fruitworm), and Sparganothis sulfureana (the Sparganothis fruitworm) were examined for their vulnerability to pheromone-based mating disruption (MD). A micro-encapsulated carrier (Trece®) and a commercially available fertilizer pellet (Midwestern BioAg) were assayed for their capacity to slowly volatilize sex pheromones at whole-farm scales, thereby shutting down moth trap-catch and reducing mating frequency in pheromone-disrupted blocks. Given cranberry grower preference for Sparganothis testing in central Wisconsin, the micro-encapsulated carrier was tested only on Sparganothis populations. Preliminary evidence suggests that for the micro-encapsulated carrier, trap-catch of Sparganothis was significantly reduced. The longevity of the MD effect, however, only lasted for approximately 2.5 weeks, due in part to heavy rains sustained during the moth flight. These data represent the first evidence of significant MD for Sparganothis populations at large spatial scales in Wisconsin. Using the fertilizer pellet carrier, trap shut-down for both cranberry fruitworm and sparganothis fruitworm was significantly reduced, but the effect only lasted 2 weeks. Again, the heavy, sustained precipitation of the 2019 growing season in Wisconsin likely played a role in carrier longevity. Altogether, these data suggest that the micro-encapsulated carrier, as well as the fertilizer pellet, are worthy of further testing at large scales for the deployment of pheromone-based MD in cranberries.