Landscape Analysis of Adult Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Distribution and Dispersal Within Typical Agroecosystems Dominated by Apple Production in Central Chile

Abstract

We analyzed the spatial distribution and dispersal of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), adults within two heterogeneous agroecosystems typical of central Chile: commercial apple, Malus domestica Borkhausen, orchards surrounded by various unmanaged host plants. Both a geostatistical analysis of catches of adult males with a grid of sex pheromone-baited traps and an immunological self-marking technique combined with traps baited with a male and female attractant were used. The spatial analyses identified the key sources of moths within these diverse landscapes. Codling moth catches in traps were spatially associated within distances of ≈ 150-300 m. Similarly, the mean distance from the immunological self-marking plots within the commercial apple orchard to the traps that captured marked adults was 282 m. In contrast, the mean distance in the capture of marked moths from unmanaged self-marking plots to a commercial orchard was 828 m. These data suggest that the success of any future area-wide management programs for codling moth in Chilean pome fruit must include a component for managing or removing noncommercial hosts that surround orchards. This analysis also suggests that the selection pressure for resistance imposed by insecticide sprays within managed orchards is likely dampened by the influx of susceptible moths from unmanaged sites common in central Chile.

Geostatistical tools for the study of insect spatial distribution: practical implications in the integrated management of orchard and vineyard pests

“…Examples on this topic were reported for G. funebrana, Grapholitha molesta (Busck), Anarsia lineatella (Z. ), and c. pomonella (Sciarretta et al 2001;Sciarretta & Trematerra 2006;Basoalto et al 2010). The presence of overwintering sites outside deciduous orchards was reported to influence the colonisation and spread of leafhoppers into the orchards from the surrounding vegetation (Nestel & Klein 1995).…”

Optimizing Immunomarking Systems and Development of a New Marking System Based on Wheat

“…These methods could be considered to be “second-generation” immunomarking protocols and are useful in both mark-release-recapture studies and mark-capture studies where the insects in the field are marked directly, eliminating concerns of behavioral anomalies related to use of laboratory-reared insects. To date, the second generation markers have been used with several insect species to quantify movement between areas marked with different proteins (Jones et al 2006; Boina et al 2009; Horton et al 2009; Basoalto et al 2010; Hagler and Jones 2010). …”

Administering and Detecting Protein Marks on Arthropods for Dispersal Research

“…Specifically, investigators now have a reliable method to rapidly and uniformly tag arthropods over vast areas in the field using a wide variety of conventional spray rig equipment ( Figure 3E). For instance, pest insects have been marked directly in orchards and fields using portable hand gun type sprayers 29,30 , tractor-driven airblast sprayers 31,32 , and skid sprayers 33 . Horton et al 34 used an electric spray device mounted on an all-terrain vehicle to pinpoint applications of egg whites to insects occupying cover crops embedded in a pear orchard ( Figure 3F).…”