Effects of winter sanitation in pistachio orchards on navel orangeworm (Pyralidae) trap counts

Abstract:  The navel orangeworm (NOW), Amyelois transitella, is the key pest of pistachios and almonds in California. Earlier research has demonstrated that sanitation efforts, the process of removing and/or destroying the crop that remains after harvest, have a great impact on NOW populations in almonds. However, the same approaches and techniques that are effective in almonds do not work well in pistachios. In this study, we attempt to improve the effectiveness of sanitation methods in pistachios, while evaluating NOW populations via sex pheromone and oviposition attractant based traps.