Mating disruption of the Chinese tortrix Cydia trasias (Lepidoptera : Olethreutidae) by atmospheric permeation with synthetic sex pheromone

Mating disruption treatments for the Chinese tortrix Cydia trasias (Meyrick ) with synthetic sex pheromone were tested on a shade-tree, the Chinese sch olar-tree (Sophora japonica L.). in Beijing, China, in 1999. Two test sites were treated three times each during the beginning of overwintering flight period, and during the first- and second-generation night periods. Each tr ee was treated with six dispensers releasing the C. trasias sex pheromone ( 0.5 mg load per dispenser). Treatments were evaluated Ly petiole and seed p od injuries and by captures of males in traps baited with live virgin femal es or synthetic sex pheromone lures. A 2:3 two-component blend of E8,E10-do decadien-1-ol (E8,E10-12:OH) and E8,E10-dodecadienyl acetate (E8,E10-12:Ac) was used for mating disruption. At site I, catches of males in female-bait ed traps were reduced by 100, 99.1, and 98.2% when compared with control pl ots, and catches in pheromone-baited traps were reduced by 98.2, 95.7, and 93.6%, during the three periods of moth flight, respectively, Also at site I, the tunneled petioles (first- and second-generation larval injury) were reduced by 68.1 and 60.6%, and the bored seed pods (third-generation larval injury) were reduced by 70.0%, for the first, second, and third larval gen erations, respectively, when compared with control plots. At site II, the b ored seed pods in the treated plots were reduced by 89.5%, during the third period of larval injury. We conclude that mating disruption is promising a s an effective control against C, transias on shade-trees planted along str eets.