Cost–benefit analysis of pistachio twig borer, Kermania pistaciella Amsel (Lepidoptera: Oinophylidae) chemical control

Pistachio twig borer is a major pest of pistachio orchards in Iran. In order to reduce the pest damage, a conventional pesticide application is used annually. However, it is not known how much damage is caused by this pest. To determine the potential damage of Kermania pistaciella, and to qualify how efficient chemical control is in reduction of the pest damage, an experiment was conducted at two pistachio orchards in Kerman province (Kerman and Sirjan). A randomised complete block design, with two treatments – chemical control (a mixture of endosulfan EC 35 and volk, 2.5:5 l/ha) and check with five replications were performed. To estimate the pest damage, 25 randomly selected trees were chosen then the total fruit bunches of each tree were checked for infestation to the pest. The infestation percentage in Kerman was greater than that for Sirjan region (10.3% vs. 5.9%). When treatments were compared, the infestation rate of check plots were significantly more in comparison of treated plots in Kerman (10.3...