Evaluation of combined treatment with mineral oil, fenoxycarb and chlorpyrifos against Cydia pomonella, Phyllonorycter blancardella and Synanthedon myopaeformis in apple orchards

The sustainable control of moth pests is a crucial challenge for Integrated Pest Management of apple orchards and no field data are available on the combination of paraffinic oil, fenoxycarb and chlorpyrifos to control three important moth pests, i.e., Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Phyllonorycter blancardella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and Synanthedon myopaeformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae). Therefore, a study was conducted in two sites of northern Greece during 2014 and 2015 evaluating the combined effect of paraffinic oil, fenoxycarb and chlorpyrifos for the simultaneous management of the three pests in apple orchards, using the catches of adult males in pheromone-baited trap devices as evaluation tool. Results outlined that the flights of male adults of all species began at the end of April until about early August in both years. The highest population density of the three moth species was found between May and July. The insecticidal treatments significantly reduced the populations of C. pomonella, P. blancardella and S. myopaeformis in treated orchards compared to controls. Overall, our results can contribute to the identification of highly effective insecticide combinations against these three moth pests attacking apple orchards.