Development of multiple species mating disruption to control codling moth and leafrollers (Lepidoptera Tortricidae)

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and leafrollers principally lightbrown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana) are key pests of apples Pheromone mating disruption has until now required separate dispensers to be deployed for each pest group With 6001000 dispensers per ha for each species application costs are a significant factor limiting the wider adoption of multispecies mating disruption in New Zealand apple orchards The aim was to integrate the two disruption systems into a single dispenser and evaluate its performance against that of separate dispensers in paired block comparisons on four apple orchards The three measures of effectiveness pheromone trap catch suppression of moth mating and fruit damage at harvest all showed no statistical differences between the two treatments The performance of the new combination pheromone dispenser was equivalent to that when the two dispensers were deployed separately