Dispersal of Sitotroga cerealella in a conventional small-farm in Central-Southern Italy

Abstract: Using sex pheromone traps baited with Z,E-7-11-hexadecadien-1-yl acetate (HDA), observations of male adult presence and dispersion of the Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier), in warehouse and in field-plots were carried out. The studies were realised in a conventional small-farm of 10.5 ha located in hilly areas of Central-Southern Italy. The farm was divided into plots as follows: nursery truffle plants, vineyard, spring wheat, clover, oak grove, corn, tobacco, oats, barley and olive grove. According to the results, infestations of S. cerealella occurred during both preharvest plantation and postharvest storage. Levels of insect abundance varied among plots. The highest numbers of males were trapped in the warehouse in which different cereals are stored all year long. S. cerealella activity suggests adult dispersal from the warehouse to field-plots during the spring-summer season up to 600 meters from the warehouse. The activity of S. cerealella in the Southern-Central Italy agricultural territory is mainly affected by the presence of small traditional warehouses. The crop succession in the fields does not seem to be very important for the presence and dispersion of the moth.