Abstract

SILVA, Laís  and  BENTO, Albino. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. in walnut: bioecology and evaluation of protection strategies against the pest. Rev. de Ciências Agrárias [online]. 2023, vol.46, n.2, pp.51-60.  Epub June 01, 2023. ISSN 0871-018X.  https://doi.org/10.19084/rca.31326.

The walnut tree, Juglans regia L., has acquired increasing importance both nationally and internationally. In Portugal, the crop area and production doubled in the last decade, with a production of 13,340 tons of walnuts harvested in 2021. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., is a species considered a key pest of pome fruit and walnut trees. After hatching, the caterpillar searches for a place to feed upon, the fruit. If protective measures are not taken, it can cause yield losses of 20% to 80%, especially in early flowering cultivars. The objective of this work was to study the biology of the insect and define protection strategies against the pest through mating disruption in a walnut orchard. The biological cycle was followed by capturing adults in traps baited with sexual pheromone and the damages were evaluated through the inspection of the fruits in two parcels with and without mating disruption. Two periods with the highest number of captures were observed, corresponding two generations of the pest, the first in late June/early July and the other in early/mid-September, with mean captures of 11±3.0 and 6.33±0.72, respectively. The protection of the walnut orchard against C. pomonella through mating disruption significantly reduced the number of captures in traps, with a disorientation rate of almost 100% throughout the entire flight period of the second generation. The plot with the highest percentage of attacked fruits (11%) was conducted in integrated production, while in mating disruption this number decreased (7%), although without statistically significant differences.

Keywords : Juglans regia; Codling moth; Damage; Biotechnical control.

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