Performance of a wine trap device to monitor Lobesia botrana adult populations in Murcia vineyards

Abstract: The food traps have had a considerable importance in the monitoring of Lobesiabotrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) since the early decades of the last Century. The bait for thesetraps consisted of juices of various kinds such as vinegar, sugar, molasses, fruit juices, cider, andbeer. Trapping females with these devices is considered a valuable tool to predict the onset ofoviposition, essential to properly time pesticide treatments. With the identification of the sexpheromone and its use in monitoring traps, the studies aimed at the development of food trapswere significantly reduced. However, in the wine-growing areas in which L. botrana is managedby using the mating disruption technique, the need for food traps and/or other valid tools tomonitor adult population has become more and more urgent. In the district of Murcia (Spain),some investigations have been conducted in the last three years (2008-2011) to assess the validityof a wine trap device to capture L. botrana males and females. This device consists of a conicalterra-cotta flower pot (upper diameter 15cm; height 20cm) surmounted by a circular discpositioned 10cm over the rim. The trap is filled to the brim with a water-alcoholic solutionconsisting of 50% red wine (variety “Monastrell”), fixed to a pole just above the level of theclusters and checked every 3-4 days for adults counting and pot refilling. In the three years themonitoring activity has been carried out in vineyards of the red variety “Monastrell” in Yecla(Murcia) from April to October. In such context the captures obtained in wine traps have beencompared with the captures obtained in pheromone traps, both in mating disrupted and in notmatingdisrupted vineyards. In 2010, adults caught in wine traps have been properly sexed andthe females dissected to check the mating status. Very intriguing outcomes have emerged fromthe survey both in terms of number and timing of catches and in terms of the mating status of thefemales collected in the wine traps.