Effect of specific and generic sex attractant blends on pheromone trap captures of four leafroller species in mid-Atlantic apple orchards

The responses of tufted apple bud moth, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker), the leafroller P. flavedana Clemens, redbanded leafroller, Argyrotaenia velutin ana (Walker), and obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris ), to the pheromone blends of each, as well as to 3 putative generic blends (two- and three-component blends containing pheromone elements of each of the 4 species) were evaluated in small orchard plots. P. idaeusalis and P. flavedana, and A. velutinana and C, rosaceana comprise 2 pairs of species, each pair with broad overlap in pheromone blend, and quite different from o ne another. Each generic blend suppressed trap captures of all 4 species. T he blends for P. idaeusalis and P, flavedana each reduced captures for thes e species. Furthermore, the blend for P, ideausalis also suppressed capture s of A. velutinana. The P. flavedana blend did not reduce captures of A. ve lutinana; in fact, at times captures increased. This study determines relat ive abilities of several sex attractant blends to reduce captures of 4 leaf roller species in pheromone traps, presumably reflecting the ability of a b lend to reduce orientation of males to females in a large block situation. This is a requisite 1st step in the development of a multispecies mating di sruption blend.