Mating Disruption for Navel Orangeworm Usually Pays Off

Mating Disruption for Navel Orangeworm Usually Pays Off

Patrick Cavanaugh
Patrick Cavanaugh
Mating disruption for navel orangeworm can be extremely effective. Basically, it prevents moths from reproducing. It's done through pheromones, which flood the orchard. It confuses male moths and you're thinking female malls are where they are not. The bottom line is that it keeps the moths from mating--- reduces pressure. David Haviland is a UC ANR farm advisor in Kern County.

“Other things to consider with regards to mating disruption, just to let you know, you know, there's no way to predict good years and bad years. So, you got to see mating disruption as an insurance policy,” said Haviland.

“However, in our trials in six out of six sites where we had two years of mating disruption, we saw a benefit. It paid for itself,” said Haviland. “There's also value to resistance management programs. There's also, more efficiency at the processor with less damage. You've got less aflatoxins anytime there's less damage, you've got the marketing value of being sustainable. Plus, there's year over year benefits that are traditionally shown in mating disruption systems across a lot of different pests,” Haviland said.

And Haviland says there is a potential to reduce sprays.

“We haven't really tested that with just a couple of sites so far, but if you're someone that sprays twice every year, and doesn't use mating disruption. There's that opportunity that you could use mating disruption to spray only once--- that way you're potentially offsetting the cost of mating disruption, but still getting acceptable damage with its use.

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