Field Evaluation of Traps and Lures for Monitoring Plum Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Alabama Peaches

ABSTRACT The plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a key pest of peaches, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, in North America. We evaluated the effectiveness of two widely used trap types (pyramid versus Circle traps) and commercially available synthetic lures for monitoring the pest in two peach orchards in Alabama during 2008 and 2009. The lures evaluated alone or in combinations included benzaldehyde (BZ) (a component of fruit odor), plum essence (PE) (a mixture of fruit odor extracted from food grade plum), and grandisoic acid (GA) (a male-produced aggregation pheromone of plum curculio). In general, pyramid traps captured more plum curculio adults than Circle traps, particularly during the first generation. Trap performance was improved numerically by the addition of BZ, PE, or GA alone (single lures) and was significantly enhanced by the addition of the combined BZ + PE lure. In both first and second generations, the combined BZ + PE lure increased plum curculio cap...