Disruption of Chemical Communication of Synanthedon tenuis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) by Sex Pheromone Dispensers in Sweet Persimmon Orchards

Pheromone-based techniques are becoming a viable strategy of insect pest management as facilitated by the exponential increase in numbers of pheromone identifications from many insect pests. This is the report on the efficacy of pheromone-mediated chemical communication disruption (PCD) technique against the Korean population of smaller clearwing moths, Synanthedon tenuis (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) using its female sex pheromone component, (Z, Z )-3, 13-octadecadien-1-ol. The PCD trials were carried out four times during 2016 and 2017 in persimmon orchards located at Suncheon and Jinju Cities in Korea, and the PCD efficacy was expressed as the mean differences in the seasonal catches of S. tenuis males in the PCD and control plots. The seasonal male moth catches in monitoring traps installed in the PCD plots were significantly lower as compared with those installed in the control plots. Consequently, the PCD efficacy in the experimental orchards ranged from 95.2-100% with an average efficacy of 98.8 ± 1.2%, revealing a future possibility of pheromone-based management of S. tenuis.