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Mating Disruption
What is Mating Disruption?
Mating disruption is a pest-management product that uses
synthetic pheromones to confuse males and limit their
ability to locate females for mating.
Isomate-CM/LR TT is a product which provides
mating disruption for both codling moths and leaf roller
moths.
Typical Insect Mating
Sex pheromones are released by females to let males know
they are available to mate. The female releases
this chemical signal, which is carried by the wind to
males. When a male detects the pheromone, he
follows the plume upwind to reach the female and mate
with her.
How Does Mating Disruption Work?
By placing many pheromone dispensers throughout orchard
blocks, the area is permeated with pheromone, and this
disrupts insect mating in several ways:
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Habituation: Males
become so accustomed to the pheromone
that they no longer respond to it.
Since pheromone is everywhere, male
insects become habituated to it.
When a female tries to signal a male
with her pheromone, he does not respond
to it.
-
Masking: Males are
bombarded by the pheromone, so they
cannot find the females. When a
female tries to signal a male with her
pheromone, the male cannot pick out the trail from the pheromone "fog".
-
False Trails:
Males are attracted to the pheromone
emitted from the pheromone dispensers,
and in seeking the source of the
pheromone they find the dispensers and not
the female moth.
All
of these factors play a role in reducing the chance of a male moth locating a female moth to mate with.
(image source: http://jenny.tfrec.wsu.edu/opm/displaySpecies.php?pn=80)
How is Mating Disruption Applied in the Orchard?
The most common dispenser systems used in mating disruption on fruit crops use pheromone in plastic tubes or packets designed to release the product slowly over several weeks or months. The dispensers are placed in the orchard by hand, at a rate of 150-400 per acre, depending on the product, and pest pressure.
The dispensers are placed in trees evenly throughout the orchards (more may be placed on orchard boundaries) near the top of the trees, and are left in place, slowly releasing pheromone throughout the growing season.
Benefits of Mating Disruption
Benefits of mating disruption are similar to those of sterile insect release. The product is part of an area wide pest management approach which reduces the reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides, can slow development of pesticide resistance (due to reduced pesticide use), reduces worker exposure to pesticides, and produces no pesticide residue.
Like with sterile insect release, mating disruption is not a stand-alone control method. When wild codling moth populaitons are high, growers will still need to apply other control measures.
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