Apple codling moth: update on integrated control and biological control strategies in Emilia-Romagna.

摘要

Like certain other apple tree pests, Cydia pomonella has become the focus of renewed attention in the wake of severe outbreaks in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy over the last few years which have been due probably to changes in climate, viz. unseasonably mild winters and dry springs leading to lower mortality and higher fertility rates. Control strategies are increasingly marked by the use of insect growth regulators-chitin synthesis inhibitors and moulting accelerating compounds. Given theirknown precision, the timing of treatments is crucial. Among the biological control approaches, the use of granulosis virus appears to be sufficiently effective, although pheromone application (mating disruption and attractants) is also being evaluated.Particular attention is being paid as well to the selectivity of various active ingredients and their formulae with respect to the use of beneficial insects.