The Possibilities of Using Pheromone Traps and Total Thermal Summation in Estimating Adult Emergence of Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.), a Pest of Cotton Growing Areas in Amik Plain

Authors: CAFER MART, OĞUZHAN DOĞANLAR, ŞENER TARLA

Abstract: In 1996-1999, studies on the utilization of pheromone traps for the estimation of adult emergence and the observation of the seasonal population dynamics of Pectinophora gossypiella (Saund.), which tends to spread in cotton growing areas, and on the determination of day-degree values for its biological stages were carried out in Amik Plain. It was found that adult emergence of the overwintering generation first occurred between late April and early May and lasted for 2-2.5 months. The effective total summation for first adult emergence was 136.43, 137.43 and 186.95 day-degree, and that for maximum adult emergence was 570.80, 460.23 and 479.35 day-degree in 1996, 1997 and 1998 respectively. In the same years, adult emergence of the overwintering generation finished at 980.80, 1090.57 and 1157.50 day-degree respectively. Sex pheromone traps were used to monitor both first adult emergence and population changes in cotton growing seasons. The level of damage in 1997 was significantly related to the number of adults trapped (r: 0.799). It was concluded that sex pheromone traps can be used to monitor pink bollworm populations and that effective total thermal summation can be employed together with sex pheromone traps to observe first adult emergence.

Keywords: Cotton, pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella, pheromone trap, day-degree

Full Text: PDF