Pherobank, part of Plant Research International (Wageningen University and Research Centre), has succeeded in charting the composition of the sex pheromone of the harmful insect Duponchelia fovealis. This work was carried out in cooperation with Entocare, a Wageningen-based producer and distributor of beneficial insects for biological pest control.

Duponchelia’s sex pheromone had previously been found difficult to identify compared to that of other types of butterflies. The identified pheromone has, however, now been successfully tested in cutting production in greenhouse and research is currently directed towards intensifying the attractiveness of the pheromone mixture. Pheromone traps for early detection of Duponchelia will be available from suppliers as of the end of April.

As biological pest control has increasingly taken over from chemical methods in greenhouse cultures, Duponchelia fovealis has become more common in recent years. This moth spends the day hidden under leaves and only comes out after dark, while caterpillars stay low in the plants, making them more difficult to discover. Furthermore, although pheromone traps are ideal for detecting the presence of the most harmful butterfly species, they were previously unavailable for Duponchelia. Now that such traps do exist, early warning will be possible for this species as well.

Tests in greenhouses have shown that the moth can be tracked in an early stage even before there is explicit reason to suspect its presence, allowing appropriate measures to be taken early on. The application of pheromone traps also permits the effect of biological or chemical measures to be accurately gauged. This helps prevent early, late and excessively long interventions, cutting unnecessary costs for the grower and reducing any environmental stress.

Originally hailing from the Mediterranean, Duponchelia fovealis has been affecting Dutch greenhouse cultivation for some 15 years. This polyphagous glutton generates major problems in the cultivation of ornamental plans and greenhouse vegetables. The larvae can cause considerable direct damage in potted plants and cut flowers such as kalanchoes, begonias, cyclamens, gerberas and roses.

The larvae also affect peppers, although they cause little direct damage: The problem is rather the widespread presence of larvae in exported vegetables. The Plant Protection Service (PD) of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality is currently consulting the agricultural sector about the measures required to control this problem in the export of peppers and vegetable propagation material to North America.

Plant Research International will further investigate the prospects for the application of the Duponchelia sex pheromone so that comprehensive cultivation advice can be given.