A promising biotechnical approach to pest management of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Illinois maize fields under kairomonal shielding with the new MSD technique.
Environmentally compatible and sustainable plant protection requires novel approaches to pest management characterized by minimal emphasis on toxicants. Classical toxicants traditionally dominated economic entomology for half a century. But worldwide problems with environmental pollution and with increasing resistance levels in all major pesticide classes and in many key insect species including Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (D.v.v.) strongly advocate a rethinking and a change in management paradigms used. Soft, minimally invasive, biological, biotechnical and cultural approaches should replace hard pesticides which are in favor up to now. Fortunately, pheromones, kairomones, plant attractants, better traps, new plant varieties and cultural methods like crop rotation, in short more sophisticated methods are now available as pressure for finding and exploring novel strategies increases. Facing this situation, a new biotechnical approach of population reduction of D.v.v., called "MSD" technique, is introduced. MSD is characterized as an approach combining mass trapping, shielding and deflecting of adult insects along an invisible odor barrier of synthetic kairomone which diminishes the flux of insects across a high capacity trap line baited with kairomone, thus reducing both the population fluctuation and number and its reproductive success within the shielded area. In the case of D.v.v. in Zea mays fields, effects realized by the MSD technique have been measured simultaneously by a number of independent criteria during the summers of 2003 and 2004 at 2 different locations in Illinois maize fields of up to one half hectare size. Results observed are statistically significant and cannot be explained by mass trapping alone. There is also an additional shielding and deflection, in short "diversion" effect whose basic sensory and behavioral mechanisms call for future exploration.
Hummel
H E
HE
Justus-Liebig-University, Professorship for Organic Agriculture Karl-Glickner-Str, 21C, D-35394 Giessen, Germany. Hans.E.Hummel@agrar.uni-giessen.de
Shaw
J T
JT
Hein
D F
DF
D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000254:growth & development*; D007087:Illinois; D007302:Insect Repellents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000469:parasitology*
D007302:Insect Repellents; D010675:Pheromones