Horner Rachael M, Lo Peter L, Rogers David J, Walker James T S, Suckling David Maxwell
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Havelock North 4157, New Zealand.
Insects. 2020 Nov 27;11(12):837. doi: 10.3390/insects11120837.
Codling moth was introduced into New Zealand, and remains a critical pest for the apple industry. Apples exported to some markets require strict phytosanitary measures to eliminate the risk of larval infestation. Mating disruption and insecticide applications are the principal means of suppression in New Zealand. We tested the potential for the sterile insect technique (SIT) to supplement these measures to achieve local eradication or suppression of this pest. SIT was trialed in an isolated group of six integrated fruit production (IFP) orchards and one organic orchard (total 391 ha), using sterilized insects imported from Canada, with release by unmanned aerial vehicle and from the ground. Eradication was not achieved across the region, but a very high level of codling moth suppression was achieved at individual orchards after the introduction of sterile moths in combination with mating disruption and larvicides. After six years of releases, catches of wild codling moths at three IFP orchards (224 ha) were 90-99% lower than in 2013-2014, the year before releases began. Catches at three other IFP orchards (129 ha) decreased by 67-97% from the year before releases began (2015-2016), from lower initial levels. At a certified organic orchard with a higher initial population under only organic larvicides and mating disruption, by 2019-2020, there was an 81% reduction in wild moths capture from 2016-2017, the year before releases began.
苹果蠹蛾被引入新西兰，至今仍是苹果产业的关键害虫。出口到某些市场的苹果需要采取严格的植物检疫措施，以消除幼虫侵染的风险。在新西兰，干扰交配和施用杀虫剂是主要的防治手段。我们测试了采用不育昆虫技术（SIT）来补充这些措施，以实现对这种害虫的局部根除或抑制的可能性。在一组由六个综合水果生产（IFP）果园和一个有机果园组成的孤立区域（总面积391公顷）进行了不育昆虫技术试验，使用从加拿大进口的经绝育处理的昆虫，通过无人机和地面进行释放。整个区域未实现根除，但在引入不育蛾并结合干扰交配和杀幼虫剂后，各个果园实现了对苹果蠹蛾的高度抑制。经过六年的释放，在三个IFP果园（224公顷）捕获的野生苹果蠹蛾数量比释放开始前的2013 - 2014年减少了90 - 99%。另外三个IFP果园（129公顷）的捕获量从释放开始前一年（2015 - 2016年）的较低初始水平下降了67 - 97%。在一个仅采用有机杀幼虫剂和干扰交配且初始虫口密度较高的认证有机果园，到2019 - 2020年，野生蛾类捕获量比释放开始前的2016 - 2017年减少了81%。
