Tuesday, December 11, 2007
D0438

Association of pheromone and egg trap counts with subsequent navel orangeworm damage in almonds

Charles Burks, charles.burks@ars.usda.gov1, Bradley Higbee, bradh@paramountfarming.com2, and David Brandl, dbrandl@fresno.ars.usda.gov1. (1) USDA-ARS, 9611 S. Riverbend Ave, Parlier, CA, (2) Paramount Farming Co, 33141 E. Lerdo Hwy, Bakersfield, CA

The navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is the primary insect pest of almonds. Association of navel orangeworm males in flight traps with virgin females as a pheromone source, and of eggs in oviposition traps, with harvest damage was examined in the almond varieties Nonpareil and Monterey. Pheromone and egg traps were placed in 41 16 ha blocks providing ³400 m separation from other traps. Insecticide applications were withheld from a central 0.8 ha plot within this block, and harvest samples were collected from this untreated area. In 2006 navel orangeworm damage in Nonpareil was significantly associated with the sum of males in pheromone traps in flights 1 and 2 but not other generations, and not with sums of eggs in oviposition traps. In contrast, navel orangeworm damage in Monterey was significantly associated with sums of males in flight three but not other generations, and with sums of eggs in flights 1 and 3. Additional data from the same locations is currently being collected, and will be presented.


Species 1: Lepidoptera Pyralidae Amyelois transitella (navel orangeworm)