Developing a mealybug pheromone monitoring tool to enhance IPM practices in New Zealand vineyards

Abstract

Mealybugs are phloem-feeding insects found on many crops worldwide. In New Zealand vineyards, they transmit the economically important Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3). For some mealybug species, synthetic sex pheromones have been commercialised, and are used as monitoring tools. The mealybugs Pseudococcus longispinus and Pseudococcus calceolariae are major pests in many New Zealand vineyards. We present work on the development of a combined P. longispinus and P. calceolariae pheromone lure. The optimal dose for monitoring P. longispinus was found to be 10 µg of the (S)-(+)-enantiomer, either alone or in the racemic mixture. Addition of the corresponding alcohol did not improve trap catch of P. longispinus. Both the P. longispinus and the P. calceolariae pheromone lures remained active in the field for 90 days. Combining the 2 species’ pheromones had no negative effects on male mealybug trap catch for either species. We conclude that the pheromone ester alone is the best lure for the male P. longispinus. Combining the two mealybug species’ pheromones into a single lure provides the New Zealand viticultural industry with an efficient monitoring tool. Late-vintage deployment of baited lures will provide information on mealybug abundance and local distribution that will inform the scope of future insecticide programmes, to target areas based on need rather than an area-wide application by default.

New Monoterpenoid as the Sex Pheromone of Spanish Populations of the Longtailed Mealybug Pseudococcus Longispinus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

“…Compound 1 (2-(1,5,5-trimethylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl)ethyl acetate), originally identified as the sex pheromone of the longtailed mealybug by Millar et al, 15 has been recently employed in field trials conducted in New Zealand, 26 effectively capturing males and finding an economic optimal dose of 20 μg when employing the racemic mixture of 1 for monitoring P. longispinus. They also found that the non-natural enantiomer did not affect the attraction of the natural (S)-(+)-enantiomer detrimentally.…”

Sex pheromone of Nearctic Agriotes mancus and its similarity to that of three Palearctic Agriotes invasive in North America

“…Combining the sex pheromones of multiple elaterid species in a single trap lure to monitor or mass trap populations of co‐occurring elaterids is of interest to farmers. This strategy has been tested in integrated pest management programmes for other insect taxa, such as cerambycid beetles (Fan et al, 2019; Hanks et al, 2018; Rice et al, 2020; Sweeney et al, 2014), moths (Brockerhoff et al, 2013; Knight et al, 2014; Preti et al, 2020), true bugs (Kim et al, 2015; Yasuda et al, 2010) and mealybugs (Sullivan et al, 2023; Waterworth et al, 2011). As a key feature of such a lure, the pheromone for each species must express the same level of attractiveness as it would in a single pheromone lure.…”

Trichomes and unique gene expression confer insect herbivory resistance in Vitis labrusca grapevines

“…To protect grapevines, growers implement integrated pest management (IPM) plans, which incorporate cultural, biological, mechanical, and physical controls to mitigate yield losses and decrease insect pressure [ 5 – 7 ]. Some examples of strategies include exclusion [ 8 ], trapping [ 9 ], planting resistant varieties [ 10 ], and biocontrol [ 11 , 12 ]. However, if these methods are insufficient, chemical controls (insecticides) are often implemented, and are typically effective [ 13 ], but can have detrimental environmental effects [ 14 , 15 ].…”