ARI REVIEW FOR 2016-2017

Management of insect pests in pomegranate orchards In Cyprus, insect pests of pomegranates have not received much attention by researchers, although numerous insect pests have been reported to attack the crop. Among them, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata Wied, the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller, aphids and scales are the most important. The programme is aiming to identify, monitor and develop the best strategy to manage insect pests in Pomegranate orchards. ( N.A. Seraphides ) Rearing of beneficial insect populations Wide applications of chemicals to control insect pests generate many drawbacks concerning agriculture, environment and human health. By releasing natural enemies to control insect pests, the above drawbacks could be greatly reduced. For this purpose, populations of natural enemies of greenhouse pests, such as the parasitic wasp Diglyphus isaea against leafminers ( Liriomyza sp.), the predatory bug Macrolophus pygmaeus against whiteflies, thrips etc., the lacewing Chrysoperla carnea against aphids, whiteflies etc, and the predatory bug Nesidiocoris tenuis against lepidopteran eggs, aphids etc, are reared at the main insectary of ARI. ( N.A. Seraphides ) Management of the tomato borer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechidae) Tuta Absoluta is a devastating pest of tomato and other solanaceous crops. Following its introduction into Europe, North America and the Middle East, T. absoluta has already caused extensive economic damage to tomato production. In cooperation with the University of Cyprus, the intra and inter- specific interactions between two predators, Nesidiocoris tenuis and Macrolophus pygmaeus feeding on T. absoluta eggs are being investigated. The toxicity of selected insecticides registered for the control of T. absoluta in order to determine any insecticide resistance is also evaluated. ( N.A. Seraphides, G. Michaelides ) Chemical control of red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) using the trunk injection method The endotherapy method for the chemical control of red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) was adopted. Trunk injection using approved insecticidal active ingredients (for limited period of time) against this pest was conducted in the Paphos and Limassol districts for two consecutive years. Twenty-one date palms of the Phoenix dactylifera species and 10 palms of the Phoenix canariensis species, all of them over 25-30 years old, were used in this study. Specifically designed trunk injection plastic pegs (25 cm-long for P. canariensis and 15 cm-long for P. dactylifera ) were obtained from PROVEFE, S.A. Company (Carretera Vall d’Uixó, S/N, 12526 La Vilavella, Castellón), based in Spain. All instructions regarding installation, preparation of insecticide mixture, application specifications and schedule were proposed by the company (www.sospalm.com) . Briefly, two 15 cm-long pegs were used on P. dactylifera , while three 25 cm-long pegs were used on P. canariensis species. The pegs were inserted in previously drilled trunks in an angle of 45-60 0 , approximately 1.5-2m above the ground level. The application programme started in late March and on a rotation basis, every 40-45 days, 30-45ml/palm (depending on palm species) of the approved insecticide active ingredients for use against RPW were applied. Active ingredients applied were the following: imidacloprid 20%SL, (Confidor ® 200SL, BayerCropScience AG, Germany), abamectin 1.8%EC (Vertimec ® 1,8EC, Syngenta Crop Protection, AG, Switzerland) and thiamethoxam 25%WG (Actara ® 25WG, Syngenta Crop Protection, AG, Switzerland). 48 Plant Protection