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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #250050
Title: Managing Codling Moth Clearly and Precisely with Semiochemicals

Author
item Knight, Alan
item HAWKINS, LOYS - Suterra, Llc
item MCNAMARA, KATHLEEN - Bear Creek Orchards, Or
item BORMAN, MATT - Bear Creek Orchards, Or
item HILTON, RICK - Oregon State University

Submitted to: IOBC/WPRS Bulletin (Abstract for Conference Proceedings)
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2010
Publication Date: 8/30/2011
Citation: Knight, A.L., Hawkins, L., Mcnamara, K., Borman, M., Hilton, R. 2011. Managing Codling Moth Clearly and Precisely with Semiochemicals. IOBC/WPRS Bulletin (Abstract for Conference Proceedings). 54:415-418.

Interpretive Summary: Codling moth is an important pest of apple, pear, and walnut with a worldwide distribution. Management costs for this one insect are a significant proportion of growers’ total management costs in these crops. ARS researchers at the USDA, ARS, Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory, Wapato, WA in collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University have incorporated several principles of precision management to develop an effective program that requires less use of insecticide. Growers increase their use of monitoring traps and spray only portions of orchards where traps exceed moth catch thresholds. This approach has reduced management costs for codling moth from 35 – 55% per season and has been tested in four pear orchards encompassing 220 acres in southern Oregon. These results support our future efforts to further refine and implement this approach with other growers over a broader geographical area.

Technical Abstract: Site-specific management practices for codling moth were implemented in ‘Comice’ pear orchards treated with aerosol puffers releasing sex pheromone in southern Oregon during 2008 and 2009. The density of monitoring traps baited with sex pheromone and pear ester was increased and insecticide sprays were applied based on male and female moth catch thresholds. Only portions of each orchard were treated based on the spatial position of the traps exceeding thresholds. A partial budget analysis was conducted including costs for monitoring, labor, and insecticides. Orchards managed with the site-specific strategy had 33 - 56% lower costs with < 0.01% fruit injury. The goal now is to expand this approach to include the use of clear delta traps baited with pear ester and acetic acid lures to enhance female moth catch, and the use of supplemental low volume sprays (12 L ha -1) of insecticides to target above-threshold areas within orchards. Sprays will combine the use of insecticides with microencapsulated sex pheromone and pear ester formulations to increase adult exposure and improve spray efficacy.