Population genetic structure of Cydia pomonella: a review and case study comparing spatiotemporal variation

Analysis of population genetic structure is a key aspect to understand insect pest population dynamics in agricultural scenarios. Here the role of geography, hosts and time on the population genetic structure of codling moth Cydia pomonella (Linnaeus) (Lep., Tortricidae) populations is described. Temporal variation was examined in two French orchards among each of three adult flights during two successive years. Analyses were conducted using two insecticide resistance markers (variation at the sodium channel gene and enzymatic activity of cytochrome P450 oxidases) and three microsatellite loci. Levels of genetic variation among temporal populations were not significant based on variation in the sodium channel gene and microsatellite loci. However, P450 oxidase activity differed significantly during both flights and years, decreasing during the three flights of the first year and increasing during the second. These results suggest that phytosanitary measures are among the factors shaping the genetic structure of C. pomonella populations over temporal and geographical scales. We discuss the relative importance of natural and passive dispersal related to anthropogenic activities affecting C. pomonella population genetics and highlight population genetic research needs in order to design more efficient pest management practices.     

Resistance to the pink potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, in two accessions of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum

An integrated programme of pheromone-mediated mating disruption using Isomate-C®, post-harvest removal of fruit, and trapping overwintering larvae with cardboard tree bands, was used to control codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in four commercial organic apple orchards in Cawston, British Columbia during 1989–1992. One application of 1000 dispensers ^{– 1} on May 1 delivered estimated seasonal totals of 16.6, 16.5 and 19.9 g of E,E-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol [=codlemone] ^{– 1}in 1990, 1991 and 1992, respectively, at median rates of 8.4, 8.3, and 13.3 mg · < ha^–1 · ha^–1 during dusk flight periods of first brood and 5.3, 4.7 and 4.6 mg · ^{– 1}· ha^–1 in second brood, respectively. Over this 3-year period damage from codling moth at harvest ranged from 0.08 to 2.4%, and averaged 60.7% in these four organic orchards, while damage in five conventional orchards receiving sprays of azinphosmethyl ranged from 0.02 to 1.85%, and averaged 0.5%. Damage in an experimental orchard that was banded only, ranged from 43.5 to 56.7%, and averaged 48.9%. Between 1990 and 1992 cumulative male catches in Pherocon 1-CP wing traps baited with 10 mg of codlemone declined by 52% and densities of overwintering codling moth larvae declined an average of 49.5% in all organic orchards. Overwintering populations in the banded experimental orchard showed an increase of 57.7% during this study period. We conclude that an integrated programme of pheromone-mediated mating disruption, post-harvest fruit removal and tree banding, controls codling moth effectively enough to make organic apple production viable in British Columbia.     

苹果蠹蛾性信息素对梨小食心虫的诱集和迷向作用

【背景】在中国,苹果蠹蛾和梨小食心虫经常混合发生,但有关苹果蠹蛾迷向设置对梨小食心虫影响的研究却较少。【方法】在苹果蠹蛾和梨小食心虫同时发生的果园中设置2种迷向发散器,使用三角胶粘式信息素诱捕器监测2种昆虫的发生动态,以观察苹果蠹蛾性信息素是否会对梨小食心虫产生诱捕效果或类似的迷向作用。【结果】无论是否设置性信息素迷向发散器,苹果蠹蛾性信息素诱捕器均能诱集到梨小食心虫的雄性成虫。在2009~2011年的田间试验中,苹果蠹蛾性信息素诱捕器对梨小食心虫雄性成虫的诱集量最多能达梨小食心虫性信息素诱捕器的1.1倍,占2种诱捕器诱集总量的51.7%。在设置性信息素迷向发散器的果园中,梨小食心虫雄性成虫的诱集量受苹果蠹蛾性信息素迷向发散器的影响而下降:相比无迷向设置的对照果园,同时设置2种昆虫迷向发散器的果园中,苹果蠹蛾性信息素诱捕器内的梨小食心虫雄性成虫诱集总量最高下降了90.9%,梨小食心虫自身性信息素诱捕器内的梨小食心虫雄性成虫诱集总量最高下降了92.4%;在仅设置苹果蠹蛾性信息素迷向发散器的果园中,苹果蠹蛾性信息素诱捕器内的梨小食心虫雄性成虫诱集总量最高下降了87.5%,梨小食心虫性信息素诱捕器内的梨小食心虫雄性成虫诱集总量最高下降了60.6%。【结论与意义】苹果蠹蛾迷向发散器对于梨小食心虫雄性成虫存在\"迷向\"作用。在2种害虫同时发生的情况下使用2种迷向发散器,对于2种害虫能够达到比较好的防治效果。     

Antennal and behavioural response of codling moth Cydia pomonella to plant volatiles

Identification of host volatile compounds attractive to codling moth Cydia pomonella, a most important insect of apple, will contribute to the development of safe control techniques. Synthetic apple volatiles in two doses were tested for antennal and behavioural activity in codling moth. Female antennae strongly responded to (Z)3‐hexenol, (Z)3‐hexenyl benzoate, (Z)3‐hexenyl hexanoate, (±)‐linalool and E,E‐α‐farnesene. Two other compounds eliciting a strong antennal response were the pear ester, ethyl (E,Z)‐2,4‐decadienoate, and its corresponding aldehyde, E,E‐2,4‐decadienal, which is a component of the larval defence secretion of the European apple sawfly. Attraction of codling moth to compounds eliciting a strong antennal response was tested in a wind tunnel. Male moths were best attracted to a blend of (E,E)‐α‐farnesene, (E)‐beta‐farnesene and ethyl (E,Z)‐2,4‐decadienoate. The aldehyde E,E‐2,4‐decadienal had an antagonistic effect when added to the above mixture.     

Effects of sex pheromone in electrostatic powder on mating behaviour by Lobesia botrana males

Abstract:  In laboratory trials, mating behaviour of males of Lobesia botrana Den. and Schiff. (Lep., Tortricidae) was investigated after treatment with an electrostatically chargeable powder, Entostat^TM. Male moths were powdered with either blank Entostat or Entostat containing sex pheromone. Significantly more Entostat adhered to L. botrana males when sex pheromone was added to the powder compared with blank Entostat. Powdering male moths with Entostat, with or without sex pheromone, caused a significant reduction in antennal response when antennae were placed 2 cm away in downwind direction, while there was little effect when antennae were placed 25–100 cm from the EAG in downwind direction. In a flight study, powdering males of L. botrana caused significant increase in time before flight initiation and reduction in proportion of males making contact with calling females compared with untreated males. In a mating experiment in Petri dishes (to minimize required search time to locate female), significantly fewer females mated successfully (based on dissection of bursa copulatrix) when males had been treated with pheromone-loaded powder. Overall, powdering males of L. botrana caused considerable suppression of mating behaviour on various levels, and these suppressing effects were increased after adding sex pheromone to Entostat.     

Control of codling moth in small plots by mating disruption: alone and with limited insecticide

Mating disruption alone and mating disruption supplemented with limited applications of either azinphos-methyl or fenoxycarb was evaluated in 0.11–0.30 ha plots for the control of codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.) (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) populations.Where populations were low, mating disruption alone was sufficient to keep codling moth damage levels below 1% at harvest. Low was defined as no more than 0.2% damage at harvest and fewer than 1.3 larvae/metre of trap band from January–March inclusive in the previous season. Neither mating disruption alone nor when supplemented with azinphos-methyl or fenoxycarb during the first spring generation gave commercially acceptable levels of control in other than low density populations. Small plot size may have contributed to the failures.At the high density site unintentional supplementary control provided by drift of azinphos-methyl from border areas to which it was applied throughout the season gave excellent control in the first year and suggested an interaction between low dosages of insecticide and pheromone treatments that enhanced the disruptive effect of the latter.     

Adult female and neonate larval plant preferences of the generalist herbivore, Epiphyas postvittana

The polyphagous leafroller moth, Epiphyas postvittana, is a pest of many fruit crops in New Zealand. Since the larva is highly mobile, host selection in this insect may involve both the adult female and the larva. In order to test the relative importance of the adult female and the neonate larva in the selection of host plants, the ovipositional preferences of females, and the preferences or acceptances of neonate larvae towards 26 plant species, consisting of 15 plants considered hosts and 11 not considered hosts, were investigated. In the ovipositional tests, the mean preferences of females for hosts and non-hosts were very similar. In contrast, larvae showed a significantly greater mean preference or acceptance towards hosts than to non-hosts, in both choice and no-choice bioassays, respectively. There were highly significant correlations between the preferences and acceptances of larvae for plants in the choice and no-choice tests. In the no-choice tests, there was a highly significant correlation between the acceptances of neonate larvae towards plants after one and three days (i.e., acceptances changed little over time). Moreover, in these no-choice tests, there was a significant negative correlation between larval acceptance at 1 day and larval mortality after 3 days; that is, the less acceptable a given plant at 1 day, the more likely larvae would fail to establish, feed, and survive on it by three days. Female and larval preferences towards the various plants were also negatively correlated. Together, these data suggest that the selection of a plant for the neonate larva to feed on is largely governed by the preferences of the larva, rather than by the preferences of the female. However, selection of a plant for oviposition by the female, may be important in host selection for reasons unrelated to larval preferences, for example, by encouraging dispersal, perhaps to other plant species, of the neonate larvae and thereby decreasing intersibling competition.     

The effects of mating, age at mating, and plant stimuli, on the lifetime fecundity and fertility of the generalist herbivore Epiphyas postvittana

The effects of mating, age at mating, the presence or absence of a plant leaf, and the deprivation of a suitable ovipositional substrate during when the first ovipositional bout after mating would normally take place, on the lifetime fecundity and fertility (percentage of fertile eggs laid) of female Epiphyas postvittana were investigated. Mating had a significant effect on lifetime fecundity, with mated females laying 2.5 times more eggs than virgin females. Age at mating had a significant effect on both fecundity and fertility, both declining with increasing age when the female was mated. In the presence of a leaf of C. japonica, mated females had a greater lifetime fecundity than when no leaf was present; females in the presence of a C. japonica leaf consistently laid more eggs each day during the first 4–6 days after mating than females without a leaf. When females were deprived of a suitable ovipositional substrate, for the first 22 h after mating, they were significantly less fecund over their lifetime than were control females. Finally, in no-choice tests with three plants of different acceptability to females, the fecundity of females differed in the order C. japonica > Urtica ferox > Tibouchina multiflora. This different fecundity appeared to be inversely related to the pubescence of the leaves, suggesting that leaf texture may be a suitable antixenotic resistance factor for crops to be protected from this insect. These results suggest that strategies whereby mating is delayed or oviposition reduced within a critical period after mating, may result in significant reductions in pest populations.     

Codling moth granulovirus: a comprehensive review

Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella (L), is regarded as the most serious insect pest of apple worldwide. A variety of problems associated with the traditional use of non-selective insecticides for its control include: untoward environmental effects, insecticide resistance, negative impacts on natural enemies, and safety for pesticide applicators and the food supply. Concerns about these consequences have increased the interest in and development of alternative means for CM control that have little or no impact on humans, beneficial organisms and sensitive ecosystems. An effective and selective alternative to chemical insecticides for CM control is the CM granulovirus (CpGV). The virus was first isolated in Mexico and subsequently studied and evaluated in Europe and North America. A variety of research including pathology, pathogenesis and histopathology of the virus, determination of virulence, development of production methods, field use, factors that influence efficacy, commercial development, formulation, and CM resistance to the virus has been conducted. Commercial products of CpGV are now produced in Europe and North America and used by orchardists worldwide. In this paper we present a comprehensive review of the CpGV literature and the role of the virus in integrated pest management.