The use of the Insect Growth Regulators fenoxycarb and epofenonane against leafrollers in Integrated Pest Management in apple orchards

The applicability of the Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) with juvenile-hormone activity, epofenonane and fenoxycarb, was investigated in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program in six apple orchards during 1977–1983, against tortricid larvae. In some of these orchards Adoxophyes orana (F.v.R.) was the main pest species, and in others Pandemis heparana (Denn. & Schiff), Archips podana (Scop.) and Archips rosana (L.) were predominant.The IGR was sprayed twice at the time of emergence of last-instar larvae in spring, and resulted in adequate reduction of the numbers of the leafroller complex during the rest of the year. Reinfestation by moths never resulted in an increase to a harmful population level. IGR treatments kept fruit damage by leafrollers at a low level.

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Utilisation de deux régulateurs de croissance d'insectes (RCI), l'épofénonane et le fénoxycarbe, en lutte intégrée contre les tordeuses des vergers de pommiers

Résumé L'épofénonane et le fénoxycarbe, deux régulateurs de croissance d'insectes (RCI) analogues de l'hormone juvénile, ont été testés contre les tordeuses de 1977 à 1983 dans 6 vergers de pommiers conduits en lutte intégrée. Dans certains vergers, l'espèce la plus abondante était Adoxophyes orana, dans d'autres par contre Pandemis heparana, Archips podana ou Archips rosana étaient dominantes.Cette étude vise à déterminer: (a) si l'immigration à partir de vergers voisins, en particulier de l'espèce bivoltine A. orana, peut compromettre le succès de la lutte; (b) si deux applications annuelles de RCI suffisent pour lutter simultanément contre plusieurs espèces différentes de tordeuses.L'importance de l'immigration est estimée en comparant les résultats obtenus avec les RCI dans des vergers isolés et non isolés.Deux traitements aux RCI sont effectués au printemps au moment où les larves de la génération hivernante sont au dernier stade. Ces traitements conduisant à une réduction remarquable pour le reste de l'année du complexe des tordeuses y compris A. orana, quelque soit la situation du verger. Une réinfestation ultérieure n'a jamais provoqué un dépassement du seuil économique de tolérance. L'application des RCI a permis de maintenir les attaques de tordeuses sur fruits à un bas niveau. Les RCI preentent un intérêt considérable pour la lutte intégrée contre les tordeuses car les autres moyens sélectifs disponibles actuellement sont peu efficaces.

     

Field tests with the Insect Growth Regulators, epofenonane and fenoxycarb, in apple orchards against leafrollers and side-effects on some leafroller parasites

The Insect Growth Regulators with juvenile hormone activity, fenoxycarb and epofenonane, were applied either to separate apple trees, which were artificially inoculated with Adoxophyes orana (F.v.R.) and Pandemis heparana (Denn. & Schiff.), or in apple orchards infested with several naturally occurring leafroller species. The susceptibility of leafrollers to fenoxycarb was very high and the foliar residue remained active for at least 4 weeks. The leafroller parasites Apanteles ater (Ratzeburg) and Colpoclypeus florus (Walker), during their development in or on the host, appeared to be less susceptible to both epofenonane and fenoxycarb than the host itself.

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Résumé Le fénoxycarbe et l'épofénonane (régulateurs de croissance des insectes) ont été appliqués soit sur des pommiers isolés, artificiellement inoculés avec Adoxophyes orana (F.v.R.) et avec Pandemis heparana (Denn und Schiff), soit dans des vergers, contaminés naturellement par plusieurs espèces de tordeuses. Sur les arbres isolés, le fénoxycarbe appliqué à raison de 5 g de composé actif/100 l et l'épofénonane de 5 ml de composé actif/100 l, affectent la morphogenèse d'A. orana et P. heparana. Le fénoxycarbe agit sur A. orana même à une concentration de 0,5 g de composé actif/100 l. Dans les vergers, la vaporisation d'épofénonane (750 ml de composé actif/100 l) et de fénoxycarbe (75–150 g de composé actif/100 l) a déformé sévèrement les larves d'A. orana, d'Archips podana (Sc.), de Spilonota ocellana (F.) de P. heparana et d'Archips rosana (L.). Les résidus foliaires actifs ont persisté au moins 4 semaines, comme l'ont montré les effets morphogénétiques observés chez A. orana et P. haparana. Au cours de leur développement, sur ou à l'intérieur de l'hôte, les parasites de tordeuses Apanteles ater (Ratzeburg) et Colpoclypeus florus (Walker), sont moins sensibles à l'épofénonane et au fénoxycarbe que l'hôte lui-même. Des expériences ultérieures à plus grande échelle sont nécessaires pour évaluer l'utilisation des régulateurs de croissance des insectes contre les tordeuses dans le contrôle intégré des vergers.

     

Selection of suitable trichogramma strains to control the codling mothCydia pomonella and the two summer fruit tortrix mothsAdoxophyes orana,Pandemis heparana [Lep.: Tortricidae]

Simple laboratory methods to select candidateTrichogramma strains for use in biological control were tried. 17 strains were screened for their suitability against the codling mothCydia pomonella L. as well as the 2 summer fruit tortrix mothsAdoxophyes orana F.R. andPandemis heparana Schiff. In one set of experiments, the capacity ofTrichogramma to parasitize each of these target pests was examined, in another set, the preference ofTrichogramma to contact and parasitize the target pests compared to the standard mass rearing hostSitotroga cerealella was assessed in choice experiments. A strain ofTrichogramma dendrolimi from the People's Republic of China was found to have the highest fecundity with all the 4 hosts tested. In choice experiments, however, this strain was shown to have a near equal preference between the target tortrix pestsC. pomonella, A. orana and the replacement hostS. cerealella. 11 localTrichogramma strains collected from fruit orchards and vineyards in different locations in the Federal Republic of Germany were reared separately. Four of these local strains, one identified asT. embryophagum, showed clear preference to the tortrix pestsC. pomonella andA. orana compared toS. cerealella. The preference of one of these strains was particularly strong and amounted to a near total rejection ofS. cerealella eggs in the presence of any of the 2 tortrix pests. The remaining 12 strains had weaker parasitization capacity and/or less preference to the target pests. Four of the strains tested in these experiments, includingT. dendrolimi andT. embryophagum, were mass reared and released in apple orchards between 1984 and 1986. The results of these field experiments are planned to be published in this journal. Mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Embryonic development of orchard leafrollers and the forecasting of egg hatch

The development time of eggs of three of the most noxious leafrollers found in Northeuropean orchards, Spilonota ocellana (Denis & Schiffermüller), Archips podana (Scopoli), and Pandemis heparana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) was recorded in the laboratory at five constant temperatures between 14 and 25°C. In this range, developmental rates of the three species did not differ significantly. While the flight periods of these species overlap largely, a single algorithm could be used to devise optimal spraying time(s) for the three species.     

Growth and development rates in a riparian spider are altered by asynchrony between the timing and amount of a resource subsidy

Rapid growth in response to increased prey abundance may be induced by environmental variability associated with resource subsidies. Spiders living in riparian areas are subject to frequent, episodic bursts of aquatic prey (subsidies). These periods of high resource abundance may occur at different points in recipient consumers’ development through variation in emergence patterns of prey between years or across a landscape. We examine how variable timing of subsidy abundance intersects with life history scheduling to produce different growth and development outcomes for individuals within a population. Through a series of controlled feeding experiments, we tested the hypotheses that the spider Tetragnatha versicolor: (1) exhibits compensatory growth in response to subsidy variability, (2) that rapid increases in mass may result in a greater risk of mortality, and (3) that the timing of subsidy resources relative to the development schedule of this spider may produce different outcomes for individual growth patterns and adult condition. Spiders fed at very high rates grew fastest but also showed evidence of increased mortality risk during moulting. T. versicolor is capable of exhibiting strong growth compensation—individuals suffering initial growth restriction were able to catch up completely with animals on a constant diet utilising the same amount of food. Spiders that received an early pulse of resources (simulating an early arrival of an aquatic insect subsidy to riparian forests) did worse on all measures of development and fitness than spiders that received either a constant supply of food or a late pulse of resources. Importantly, receiving large amounts of food early in life appears to actually confer relative disadvantages in terms of later performance compared with receiving subsidies later in development. Subsidies may provide greater benefits to individuals or age cohorts encountering this resource abundance closer to the onset of reproductive efforts than subsidies arriving early in development.     

Growth and survival of the invasive alga, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caulerpa taxifolia</Emphasis>, in different salinities and temperatures: implications for coastal lake management

The alga Caulerpa taxifolia is an invasive pest species in many parts of the world and has recently become established in several estuaries in south eastern Australia. A major infestation has occurred in Lake Conjola, an intermittently open and closed coastal lagoon in southern NSW. Short term (1 week) laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate growth and survival of fragments of C. taxifolia collected from this outbreak, under a range of salinities (15–30 ppt) and water temperatures (15–30°C). Fronds, stolons and thalli of the alga all displayed similar responses. Many of the algal fragments doubled in size over the week and a maximum growth rate of 174 mm/week was recorded. Fragments showed good growth (> 20 mm/week) at salinities > 20 ppt and temperatures > 20°C. Almost total mortality occurred at salinities lower than 20 ppt and temperatures less than 20°C. Historical records of water quality demonstrate that prior to entrance manipulation in 2001, salinities in Lake Conjola had often dropped to below 17 ppt for extended periods (up to 2 years). This suggests that management of the alga may be improved if the lake was allowed to undergo its normal cycles of opening and closing to the ocean, and that entrance manipulation may be one factor that has influenced the success of this invasive species.     

Opportunities and challenges for the development of an integrated seaweed-based aquaculture activity in Chile: determining the physiological capabilities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrocystis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gracilaria</Emphasis> as biofilters

Seaweed production is a reality in Chile. More than ten species are commercially used to produce phycocolloids, fertilizers, plant growth control products, human food or animal fodder and feed additives. These multiple uses of algae offer a number of possibilities for coupling this activity to salmon, abalone and filter-feeder farming. In this context, different experiments carried out in Chile have demonstrated that Gracilaria chilensis and Macrocystis pyrifera have great potential in the development of an integrated aquaculture strategy. The present Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) approach study showed that Gracilaria can be cultured best at 1 m depth whereas Macrocystis has an especially good growth response at 3 m depth. Both species use available nitrogen efficiently. On the other hand, high intensities of solar radiation (UV and PAR) can be critical at low depths of cultivation, and our results indicate that both species show photosynthetic susceptibility mainly at noon during the summer. The demand of Macrocystis for abalone feeding is increasing, thus improving the opportunity for developing an integrated nutrient waste recycling activity in Chile. Although Gracilaria shows a higher nitrogen uptake capacity than Macrocystis, its market value does not yet allow a massive commercial scaling.