Large-scale mating disruption of citrus leafminer for validation and product launch

Large-scale mating disruption of citrus leafminer for validation and product launch

Report Date: 02/01/2016
Project: 926   Year: 2015
Category: ACP Vector
Author: Stephen Lapointe
Sponsor: Citrus Research and Development Foundation

Collection of trap catch and leafminer infestation data continued apace in citrus groves at three locations that received a second year of application of DCEPT CLM�. Groves were monitored for disruption of trap catch and for citrus leafminer damage and populations. Citrus flush was sampled twice during 2015 and exhaustively evaluated for the number of mines present and the developmental stage of the leafminer larvae present within the mines. We also tabulated the degree of infestation by leaf and shoot. Analysis of these data was delayed due to hiring difficulties at USDA headquarters. Results will appear in the next quarterly report for this project. In general, it is clear from field inspections that biological control of the citrus leafminer by the introduced parasitoid Ageniaspis citricola has been eliminated from the three test locations . We assume this is due to the elevated number of insecticide applications made to control the Asian citrus psyllid, vector of the citrus greening pathogen. It is now rare to observe parasitized leafminer larvae at those locations. The unfortunate result for growers is that populations of citrus leafminers have increased dramatically, making the successful implementation of mating disruption more difficult. Nonetheless, tat least one grove manager in our test study has been impressed with the suppression of leafminer populations in blocks receiving the DCEPT CLM product and has expressed interest in continuing to participate in future trials if the cost of the product is reasonable. At another location, the decline of mature groves due to greening is seen to eclipse the benefit of CLM control.


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