Control of Tecia solanivora (Lepidoptera : Gelechiidae) through its pheromone for mating disruption

The aim of this study was to evaluate the control of Tecia solanivora (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) through mating disruption for its possible feasibility in potato crops. In a wind tunnel, an unbalanced blend of the pheromone consisting of E3-12Ac, Z3-12Ac and 12Ac in the proportion 100:50: 100, respectively (70 mg per dispenser), produced a total inhibition of male attraction to the pheromone released by females, as compared to females releasing the pheromone (69% attraction). In the field, this blend at 10 eta g/trap significantly inhibited capture with two males/trap, whereas control traps containing E3-12Ac y Z3-12Ac (100: 1 respectively) captured 50 males/trap. In 3 ha treated with the unbalanced blend in dispensers placed at the base of potato plants at a density of 1,227 dispensers/ha (equivalent to 86 g of pheromone/ha), male attraction was significantly reduced to monitoring traps by 94%, by 89% to traps with females, and mating of confined pairs was reduced by 67%, in comparison with a control area (1 ha untreated). These results indicate the potential of this technique for reducing populations of the pest.