FINAL REPORT

IR-4 BIOPESTICIDE PROGRAM 2012

Field-wide Oriental Beetle Mating Disruption in Blueberries: A New, More Realistic Approach for its Control

Cesar Rodriguez-Saona and Dean Polk

PE Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

Summary Earlier studies demonstrated the efficacy of hand-applied plastic dispensers for pheromonemediated mating disruption of the oriental beetle in small sections of highbush blueberry fields. Although these studies provide useful information, they might not be very realistic because blueberry growers are more likely to treat entire fields. Therefore, we evaluated the field-wide efficacy of these dispensers for oriental beetle mating disruption in blueberry farms in New Jersey. The study was carried out in 2011 and 2012 in four commercial blueberry farms. At each farm, one field was treated with 20 dispensers (50 mg ai/dispenser) per acre and another left untreated (control). All dispensers were attached to an outside blueberry cane about 20 cm above the soil surface. Treatments were replicated in four farms, and organized in a randomized complete block design. The oriental beetle adult flight was monitored using Japanese beetle traps baited with 300 g of (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one lures, placed at eight traps per field (5 along field borders and 3 in field interiors) to monitor trap shut-down. Traps were placed on wire hangers so the bottom of the can was just off ground level. Pheromone dispensers and traps were placed in fields in early June. Traps were monitored once per week from mid-June until earlyAugust. In both years, dispensers provided significant trap shut-down. Captures were significantly higher in traps placed in field edges compared with traps placed in field interiors. In addition, fewer males approaching female or female-mimic baits, and lower grub density in sentinel potted blueberries, were found in the pheromone-treated fields compared to control fields. Hand-applied plastic dispensers are now commercially available for mating disruption of oriental beetle. This will likely reduce insecticide use and its associated negative environmental impacts, while maintaining control of oriental beetles.

Abstract A study was conducted in four commercial blueberry farms to evaluate the efficacy of handapplied plastic pheromone dispensers deployed in entire commercial blueberry fields for oriental beetle control. In 2011-12, blueberry fields were treated with plastic dispensers at 1 g of (Z)-7tetradecen-2-one, the major sex pheromone component of oriental beetle, per acre. Dispensers were deployed at 20 point sources per acre. In both years, pheromone trap captures were significantly lower in pheromone-disrupted fields compared with untreated control fields. Moreover, oriental beetle male captures were significantly higher in traps placed in field edges compared with traps placed in field interiors. In addition, fewer males were found in female and female-mimic baited traps and cages; and, in 2011, lower number of grubs was found in sentinel pots in the disrupted fields compared with untreated fields. This study supports previous findings that plastic dispensers are effective at disrupting mating in oriental beetles, and show that this disruption can be achieved at a field-wide scale. Introduction Blueberries are a major component of the southern New Jersey agricultural economy. In New Jersey, highbush blueberries are grown on 7,700 acres with a production of approximately 62 million pounds in 2011, valued at about 95 million dollars (USDA NASS, 2012). The oriental beetle, Anomala (=Exomala) orientalis, is the most abundant white grub pest in New Jersey blueberries (Polavarapu, 1996), and is considered by growers as one of the most important pests of blueberries in the state. The feeding damage caused by grubs can result in complete destruction of the root system, often killing entire sections of fields. Infested bushes show reduced vigor and support fewer berries compared to non-infested bushes. Even 10% plant death represents a $12,000 per acre loss (based on yield and plant value) to the grower. Limited options are currently available to manage oriental beetle populations in blueberries. Imidaclopid is the only insecticide registered in blueberries for grub control. However, having a single control method not only raises resistance management issues but also magnifies the constraints of using imidaclopid itself: imidaclopid is expensive, requires precise timing of application, has limited efficacy against late-instar grubs (Koppenhfer et al., 2002), is highly leachable, and may disrupt pollination and biological control (Rogers and Potter, 2003; Gonzales-Pradas et al., 2002; Long, 2003). Because blueberries are grown in ecologicallysensitive areas of New Jersey, it is unlikely that other soil-applied insecticides will be registered. Chemical control methods do not target the adult stage because adults cause limited damage, their emergence period is long and during harvest, and they are difficult to target with insecticide sprays due to their cryptic behavior. Therefore, alternative control methods are desperately needed. Furthermore, there are no effective oriental beetle control methods available to organic blueberry growers. A very promising option is the use of mating disruption. Previous studies evaluated the feasibility of microencapsulated sprayable formulations of (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one, the major oriental beetle pheromone component. Trap captures in small (~2.5 acre) blueberry plots treated with the pheromone formulation were reduced by over 90% compared to untreated controls (Polavarapu et al., 2002). Because the oriental beetle pheromone is a ketone, its use in sprayable microencapsulated formulations is restricted in fruit crops. An alternative formulation is the use of hand-applied plastic dispensers, which are exempt for tolerance restrictions (Weatherston and Minks, 1995). Lower trap captures, mating rates and fewer grubs were found in 2.5-acre plots 3

treated with 20-30 hand-applied plastic dispensers/acre containing (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one at 1 g active ingredient (a.i.) per dispenser compared to the untreated plots (Sciarappa et al., 2005). In subsequent studies (conducted in similar size plots and funded by IR-4), we determined the minimal effective rate of dispensers per acre. These studies showed that a low rate of 0.05 g a.i./dispenser at 20 dispensers per acre (total pheromone = 1 g per acre) was sufficient to provide effective oriental beetle mating disruption in blueberries, and was comparable in cost to an imidacloprid treatment (Rodriguez-Saona et al., 2009). Now that the dispensers are registered for use in blueberries (a labeled was issued in 2012), it is likely that growers will treat entire blueberry fields instead of small field sections. Accordingly, this proposal scaled-up the area under mating disruption by treating entire blueberry fields with hand-applied plastic pheromone dispensers. Mating disruption was used in four (~10 acres) fields covering ~40 acres of blueberries. Trap shut-down, mating success, and grub infestation were used to evaluate the efficacy of mating disruption. This constitutes a new and more realistic approach for managing this pest. Our ultimate goal was to determine the efficacy of mating disruption for oriental beetle in entire commercial blueberry fields in order to provide growers with more valuable data on its efficacy and thus increase its adoption. Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hand-applied plastic pheromone dispensers for oriental beetle mating disruption in entire commercial blueberry fields. Materials and Methods Experiments were conducted in 2011-2012 to evaluate the efficacy of hand-applied plastic pheromone dispensers (ChemTica Internacional S.A., Costa Rica) deployed in entire commercial blueberry fields for oriental beetle control in New Jersey. Four blueberry fields (~10 acres each) were treated with 20 dispensers per acre, each dispenser contained 0.05 g of the major pheromone component (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one (i.e. total of 1 g a.i. per acre, max. of 10 g a.i. per field). Four other fields of similar size within the same farm were left untreated (controls). The same treatments were applied to same fields for two consecutive years. During the 2011-12 field seasons, we evaluated the following treatments in blueberries: Treatment Dispensers Rate (a.i./PS) 0.05g PS/A 20 PS/ha 50 a.i./A 1g

Control 0 0 0 0 a.i./PS = active ingredient per point source; PS/A = point sources per acre; PS/ha = point sources per hectare; a.i./A = active ingredient per acre. The active ingredient is the major component of the oriental beetle pheromone (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one. In a previous study by the PI (funded by IR-4), field treatments of the ChemTica plastic dispensers with pheromone at the rate of 20 dispensers per acre, providing a dose of 1g of the active ingredient per acre, proved efficacious in disrupting oriental beetle mating (RodriguezSaona et al., 2009). This study was done in small (~2.5 acre) plots. Here, we tested the same pheromone rate but applied to an entire blueberry field.

The dispensers in the pheromone treatment were applied in an evenly-spaced grid among blueberry bushes within fields, and only once per year starting the 2nd week of June. Approximately 200 dispensers were applied in each field (total of 800 dispensers across all 4 fields). Data collection Trap Shut-down. In each blueberry field, eight Japanese beetle sex pheromone traps (Trec, Adair, OK) baited with 300 g of oriental beetle sex pheromone were placed and monitored weekly to determine male populations. Traps were placed 2 weeks prior to placing dispensers to obtain number of beetles before treatment. To investigate any edge effects, five traps were placed along the field borders while the other three traps were placed in the interior of fields. Male Oriental Beetle Attraction. Male oriental beetle presence in traps (Japanese beetle traps; Trec) or cages baited with virgin females (obtained by collecting larvae from infested turf grass and rearing them to adults), and with 0.3 g and 1 g pheromone lures was used to assess female mating success. These low-dose pheromone lures were used as female mimics. Because traps and cages provided similar results (see Results section), cages were used only in 2011. The cages have been designed to allow males entering but preventing males and females from exiting (Rodriguez-Saona et al. 2009). Traps and cages were placed in fields for 3 nights and then retrieved to determine the presence of males. Traps and cages were deployed weekly over a period of 2-4 weeks starting at the end of June. Grub Density. Number of grubs per field was assessed by placing a virgin female in each of five pots containing a 2- to 3-yr old blueberry plant (n = 40 virgin females). Pots were located near the center of the field. Females were tethered to the plant using a fishing line carefully tied to the elytra (Rodriguez-Saona et al. 2009). Pots with tethered females were placed in the field at the end of June. Number of grubs in each pot was determined in the Fall by destructive sampling. Statistical Analyses. The experiment was designed as randomized complete block with two treatments replicated in four different farms. Farms were used as blocks. Data on number of beetles in traps, number of males in cages or traps, and number of grubs per field were analyzed using ANOVA. If needed, data were log-transformed. Means were separated using Tukey tests. Results In both years, male oriental beetle captures were significantly lower in fields treated with pheromone dispensers compared to trap captures in untreated control plots (F = 60.77; df = 1,21; P < 0.001) (Figure 1). There was also an effect of trap location (edge versus interior) on number of beetles captured (F = 16.11; df =1,21; P = 0.001), with significantly more males captured in traps placed along field edges than in the interior of fields (Figure 1). However, there was no effect of farm or year, or any interaction effects (P > 0.05). Number of oriental beetle males captured in traps baited with females, 0.3 g of pheromone, and 0.1 g of pheromone were significantly lower in disrupted fields compared with control fields (F = 51.90; df = 1,45; P < 0.001) (Figure 2). Lure type had a significant effect on number of males captured (F =44.80; df =3,45; P <0.001), with female-baited traps attracting lower number of males than the pheromone-baited traps (P 0.05) and the 1.0 g pheromone lures attracting 5

higher number of males than the 0.3 g lures (P 0.05). The effect of lure type was, however, affected by treatment (F = 5.46; df = 3,45; P = 0.003) and year (F = 4.84; df = 3,45; P = 0.005). Similarly, number of oriental beetle males captured in cages baited with females, 0.3 g of pheromone, and 0.1 g of pheromone were significantly lower in disrupted fields compared with control fields (F = 36.79; df = 1,21; P < 0.001) (Figure 3). Lure type also had a significant effect on number of males captured (F =11.36; df =3,21; P <0.001). The effect of lure type was, however, affected by treatment (F = 5.46; df = 3,45; P = 0.003), with differences among lures in male attraction observed in the control fields (P 0.05), but not in the disrupted fields (P > 0.05) (Figure 3). The number of grubs per plot was 85% lower in disrupted fields compared to control fields in 2011 (F = 4.02; df = 1,32; P = 0.053), but not in 2012 (F = 0.97; df = 1,32; P = 0.333). There was no effect of farm or treatment farm interaction in both years (P > 0.05).

Figure 1. Cumulative number of male oriental beetles in traps from mating disruption trials conducted in 2011 (A) and 2012 (B) in four commercial blueberry farms in New Jersey
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Figure 2. Number of male oriental beetles in female-baited traps (Fem), and traps baited with 0.3 g and 1 g of the oriental beetle pheromone. Experiment was conducted in 2011 and 2012 in four commercial blueberry farms in New Jersey. Disrupted = fields treated with oriental beetle pheromone; UTC = untreated control fields.

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Figure 3. Number of male oriental beetles in female-baited cages (Fem), and cages baited with 0.3 g and 1 g of the oriental beetle pheromone. Experiment was conducted in 2011 in four commercial blueberry farms in New Jersey. Disrupted = fields treated with oriental beetle pheromone; UTC = untreated control fields.

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Conclusion Our data indicate plastic dispensers provide effective oriental beetle mating disruption in blueberry fields. In our 2-year study, lower trap captures, fewer males approaching female baits, and, at least in one year, fewer grubs were found in blueberry fields treated with 20 hand-applied plastic dispensers/acre containing (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one at 0.05 g active ingredient (a.i.) per dispenser compared to the untreated fields. Plastic dispensers are now commercially available for mating disruption of oriental beetle. This will likely reduce insecticide use and its associated environmental impacts, while maintaining control of oriental beetles. References Gonzalez-Pradas, E., M.D. Urena-Amate, F. Flores-Cespedes, M. Fernandez-Perez, J. Garratt, and R. Wilkins. 2002. Leaching of imidacloprid and procymidone in a greenhouse of southeast of Spain. Soil Science Soc. of America J. 66: 1821-1828. Koppenhfer, A.M., R.S. Cowles, E.A. Cowles, E.M. Fuzy, and L. Baumgartner. 2002. Comparison of neonicotinoid insecticides as synergists for entomopathogenic nematodes. Biol. Control 24: 90-97. Long, R. 2003. Reference on pesticide properties for surface water protection, in Pest Control Notes. Cooperative Extension, University of California, Yolo County. 10 Polavarapu, S. 1996. Species composition of scarab grubs and seasonal life-history of oriental beetle in blueberries. Horticultural News 76: 8-11. Polavarapu, S., M. Wicki, K. Vogel, G. Lonergan, and K. Nielsen. 2002. Disruption of sexual communication of oriental beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a microencapsulated 8

formulation of sex pheromone components in blueberries and ornamental nurseries. Environ. Entomol. 31: 1268-1275. Rogers, M.E., and D.A. Potter. 2003. Effects of spring imidacloprid application for white grub control on parasitism of Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) by Tiphia vernalis (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 96: 1412-1419. Rodriguez-Saona, C., D.F. Polk, and J.D. Barry. 2009. Optimization of pheromone rates for effective mating disruption of oriental beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in commercial blueberries. J. Econ. Entomol. 102: 659-669. Sciarappa, W.J., S. Polavarapu, R.J. Holdcraft, and J.D. Barry. 2005. Disruption of sexual communication of oriental beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in highbush blueberries with retrievable pheromone sources. Environ. Entomol. 34: 54-58. USDA-NASS. 2012. 2011 Blueberry Statistics. New Jersey Agricultural Statistics Service, Trenton, NJ. Weatherston, I., and A.K. Minks. 1995. Regulation of semiochemicals- global aspects. Integrat. Pest Manag. Rev. 1: 1-13. Zhang, A., H.T. Facundo, P.S. Robbins, R. Charleton, C.E. Linn, J.S. Hanula, M.G. Villani, and W.L. Roelofs. 1994. Identification and synthesis of the female sex pheromone of the oriental beetle, Anomala orientalis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). J. Chem. Ecol. 20: 24152427.