AMP Sammani,
DMSK Dissanayaka, LKW Wijayaratne*, WCP Egodawatta
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of
Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Puliyankulama,
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Abstract
The almond moth Cadra cautella
(Walk.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is difficult to control
using insecticides. Female moth releases a sex pheromone
identified as (Z, E)-9, 12-tetradecadienyl acetate (ZETA).
Information on population management of C. cautella
using pheromone is limited. Objectives of this study were to
determine the effect of pheromone dose, population size and
air flow on mating status of C. cautella. The
unmated male and female adults were introduced into a
cubicle, allowed mating, recaptured, and the females
dissected to determine the presence of spermatophores
indicative of mating. The moths exposed to pheromone doses
had lower mating than untreated control. Mating disruption
(MD) was higher at ZETA 4.5 mg/ 45 mL than other doses. For
each population size tested, moths exposed to synthetic
pheromone had lower mating than their respective control.
Insect population sizes 10 and 20 had higher MD with the
natural air flow than 30 moths/ 3.375 m3. In contrast, under
forced air flow, MD was similar across all the population
sizes tested. This study reveals that MD using ZETA is
possible for controlling C. cautella. Future research should
address its usage under warehouse conditions having
different complexities.
Key words:
Air movement, Cadra cautella, Mating disruption, Pheromone dose, Population size
Full Text :
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* - Corresponding Author
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