PHEROMONE FATE AND TRANSPORT IN FOREST CANOPIES

摘要

The artificial release of insect pheromones is currently being used as a control strategy to protect forest and agricultural stands against insects. However, pheromone diffusion and transport, composition, and insect response are not clearly understood. Additionally, no robust method exists to measure instantaneous pheromone plume concentrations. To improve our understanding of pheromone fate within a forest a tracer test program was developed. In order to measure pheromone dispersion, sulfur hexafluoride (SF_6) is used as a surrogate. During the past three years, tracer releases were conducted in oak hickory, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine forests; this paper focuses on the ponderosa pine study. The objective of this study is to increase our understanding of plume fate and transport within a forest and to develop tools that can assist land managers with placement of artificial pheromone sources in timber stands and agricultural groves.