Monitoring and testing different doses of disparlure for Indian gypsy moth, Lymantria obfuscata, in a temperate region of India (Kashmir Valley)

Abstract

Pheromone traps with different doses of disparlure [(Z)-7,8-epoxy-2-methyloctadecane] were tested for a local strain of the Indian gypsy moth (Lymantria obfuscata) at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (India). Disparlure at 500 µg dose proved to be effective in trapping gypsy moth populations. The first adults were caught on the third week of June in 2007-2009 with peak catches a week later. Catches in disparlure-baited traps at all dosage levels (0.5, 50 and 500 µg) were significantly higher as compared to control traps. The regression equation revealed strong (99%) correlation between moth catches and applied doses. The accumulated degree day model predicted 65.31 to 117.97 heat units for larval hatch and 794.66 to 928.15 heat units for adult emergence. The principal component analysis showed significant variability between weather variables and adult L. obfuscata population.

Role of Pheromone Application Technology for the Management of Codling Moth in High Altitude and Cold Arid Region of Ladakh

“…Larvae overwinter in winter, pupates in spring, and emerge as adults from mid-May to mid-June in Ladakh [16]. Adult (egg to adult) emergence synchronized often with the peanut stage of the apple fruit as both the phenological stages of plant and insects require certain amounts of heat requirements [17][18][19] Being a direct pest, larvae bore directly inside the fruits, but the early fruit damage is responsible for fruit fall and fruit injury. Larvae inside the fruit feed on the seeds and create exit holes and waste material is pushed out.…”