Mating disruption of Japanese mealybug, Planococcus kraunhiae (Kuwana), using the sex pheromone fujikonyl butyrate

Abstract

The preventive effect on mating disruption of an artificial pheromone, fujikonyl butyrate, on the Japanese mealybug, Planococcus kraunhiae (Kuwana), was examined in persimmon fields. A low number of male adults were captured by a pheromone trap in the experimental plot where pheromone dispenser tubes were tied to persimmon tree branches. Most caged female adults located in the control (untreated) plot oviposited, whereas caged female adults in the treated plot with the pheromone did not oviposit. The numbers of larvae and adults detected on persimmon fruits in the treated plots were lower than the ones detected in the control plots. This trend did not depend on the number of dispenser tubes or points of tying. These results indicate that the application of 50–100 dispenser tubes per 1,000 m² in the persimmon fields effectively prevented the spread of Japanese mealybug by its mating disruption. This preventive effect was not dependent on field surroundings but might be insignificant in very small fields.