Integrating specialized pheromone and lure application technology in the management of diamondback moth in cabbage

Behavioral manipulation of insects utilizing semiochemicals has great potential in reducing the risk of resistance to the active ingredient (AI) by the target pest. In the case of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), it ranks among the top 20 resistant arthropods, exhibiting resistance to > 95 active ingredients. The diamondback moth (DBM) is the most notorious pest of cabbage globally, and it is attracted to its host plants by chemical and/or physical stimuli. Most semiochemical controlled-release formulations are dispensed using devices, such as aerosol dispensers and polyethylene tubes but recent developments have shown that a versatile innovative pheromone dispensing technology, SPLAT (Specialized Pheromone Lure Application Technology), has great management potential when used as an ‘attract and kill’ tactic. One formulation of SPLAT for DBM is Acttra^®Plutella. The goal of this study was to conduct field trials and behavioral studies to determine the attractiveness of Acttra^®Plutella for the control of DBM. The hypothesis is that the lure has a strong attraction to draw the insect directly to the source of stimuli and induce contact which eventually kills the adults if a toxic reduced-risk pesticide is used. Field trials were conducted in the field, and the innate behavioral responses were tested in a Four-choice olfactometer bioassay chamber. Results obtained showed that Entrust^® (Spinosad) mixed with Acttra^®Plutella provided the most consistent and effective control of DBM in the field, while DBM chose cabbage disks with Acttra^®Plutella as the first choice implicating attraction.