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[EN] When zoophytophagous mirids (Hemiptera: Miridae) feed on tomato plants they activate both direct and indirect defense mechanisms, which include the release of herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). HIPVs are capable of activating defense mechanisms in healthy neighboring plants. In this work, we investigated which of these mirid-induced HIPVs are responsible for inducing plant defenses. Healthy tomato plants were individually exposed to eight HIPVs [1-hexanol, (Z)-3-hexenol, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, (Z)-3-hexenyl propanoate, (Z)-3-hexenyl butanoate, hexyl butanoate, methyl jasmonate and methyl salicylate] for 24 hours. Then, the expression level of defensive genes was quantified. All HIPVs led to increased expression of defensive genes by the plant when compared to unexposed tomato plants. In a further step, (Z)-3-hexenyl propanoate and methyl salicylate were selected to study the response of four tomato key pests and one natural enemy to tomato plants previously exposed to both HIPVs relative to unexposed control plants. Plants previously exposed to both HIPVs were repellent to Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), attractive to the parasitoid Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and indifferent to Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). The volatiles emitted by plants previously exposed to both selected volatiles were also determined. Increased levels of C5 and C6 fatty acid-derived volatile compounds and beta-ionone were detected, confirming that both HIPVs significantly activated the lipoxygenase pathway. These results are the starting point to advance the use of volatile compounds as defense elicitors in tomato crops., The research leading to these results was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO (AGL2014-55616-C3 and RTA201700073-00-00) and the Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Alimentacio de la Generalitat Valenciana. The authors thank Dr. Alejandro Tena (IVIA) and Alice Mockford (University of Worcester) for helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

[EN] Essential oil (EO) yield and composition of five accessions ofMentha longifolia(L.) L. (leaves) were determined throughout their vegetative cycle by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis. These accessions were selected based on TLC profiles of dichloromethane extracts from wild individuals. The profile rich in alpha-terpinyl acetate and 8-acetoxy carvotanacetone has not been previously reported. The maximum value of EO yield was obtained in advanced flowering stage. The major composition changes were noted at the beginning of the vegetative cycle, whereas more stability was found during the flowering stage. Thus, significant changes in the major compounds were found in some accessions: piperitone and piperitenone oxides, alpha-terpineol acetate and 8-acetoxy carvotanacetone, which showed a considerable increase (6.0% to 20.1%) during the vegetative growth, the same way that pulegone and piperitenone oxide in other accessions. As biological activities depend on EO composition, the knowledge of its seasonal changes should be emphasized.

[EN] Mating disruption (MD) is a species-specific and environmentally friendly pest management tactic based on the release of synthetic sex pheromones aiming to interrupt the mate-finding communication and prevent mating in the target pest. The present work aims to provide an overview of the current scientific and technical knowledge on mating disruption of scale pests (Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Biparental scales are suitable targets for mating disruption (technically, MD is not suitable for parthenogenetic scales), as the females have a limited spreading ability, and adult males are short lived and have a narrow window of time for mate searching. In this perspective, delayed mating also plays an important role by reducing female attractiveness and population growth potential. The mechanisms involved in MD of scales are most likely assigned to `competitive disruption¿ rather than `noncompetitive¿ mechanisms, although no specific studies addressed this issue. Mating disruption has been commercially developed and increasingly applied against the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and the California red scale Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) to a lesser extent. Critical factors affecting MD effectiveness are the pest density and effective disruption late in the season. Mating disruption applied to scale pests is effective in small plots and compatible with biological control and integrated management programs. In conclusion, MD has a high potential for management of scale pests, providing that key factors such as technological advances in pheromone synthesis and pheromone formulations, elucidation of disruption mechanisms, and simplification of the registration process are addressed., The authors wish to thank Alejandro Carbonell and Teresa Gadea (EPA, Ecologia y Proteccion Agricola SL), Ignacio de Alfonso (Suterra LCC), David Haviland (University of California), and Vittorio Veronelli (CBC Europe) for providing insightful information on the application and spread of mating disruption. Funding was provided by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia I.P., Portugal, to Centro de Estudos Florestais (UIDB/00239/2020), and by the University of Catania in the framework of the research project `Emergent pests and pathogens and relative sustainable strategies -5A722192113'.

[EN] Some essential oils (EOs) can be extracted from berries of different species, and their composition depends on their maturation level. In this work, these parameters were correlated forJuniperus oxycedrusL ssp.oxycedrus. For this purpose, a classification method based on the CIE L*a*b* colour measurement was applied. Once the samples were classified, they were subjected to simultaneous distillation extraction and gas chromatography (GC/FID and GC/MS). Hydrocarbon monoterpenes constituted the major fraction (42.8-89.8%), mainly represented by -pinene (30.1-66.4%) and myrcene (6.1-34.8%). Hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes accounted for 4.0-26.4%, with germacrene-D (0.2-16.9%) as the major component. The discriminant analysis proved that CIE L*a*b* implementation was useful to classify the ripening stage. Regarding the EO composition, significant differences were observed in myrcene, camphor and germacrene-D, as well as in the grouped oxygenated and hydrocarbon terpenoids. In general, a progressive increase in oxygenated compounds was noted over the maturation process.

[EN] Modern agricultural policies across the globe are committed to a significant reduction in chemical pesticide dependency; however, pest management strategies are still based on the use of synthetic pesticides. There is an urgent need to find new, sustainable and biorational tools for pest management programs. Plants communicate with each other and activate defense mechanisms against pests using herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). The use of such HIPVs could be an ecologically sustainable alternative. However, as of now, there have been no comprehensive studies on HIPVs, from selection to practical use in industry production. Here, we describe the first case of an HIPV successfully implemented for pest control under commercial greenhouse conditions. In this research, tomato plants induced with (Z)-3-hexenyl propanoate [(Z)-3-HP] were less susceptible to the attack of economically important tomato pests. We designed and calibrated polymeric dispensers for the constant release of (Z)-3-HP. These dispensers maintained commercial tomato plant defenses activated for more than two months reducing herbivore pest damage without reducing plant productivity. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of plants induced with (Z)-3-HP confirmed that genes involved in specialized anti-herbivore defense were up-regulated, resulting in an increased production of fatty acid-derived compounds, activation of the lipoxygenase pathway and accumulation of specific defense compounds. Our work demonstrates under commercial greenhouse conditions how the release of HIPVs as elicitors of plant defenses via designed polymeric dispensers can be successfully integrated as a new biorational and sustainable tool for pest control, The research leading to these results was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO (AGL2014-55616-C3 and RTA2017-00073-00-00), by EU through the project HARNESSTOM (Horizon 2020 program; contract 101000716) and the Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Alimentacio de la Generalitat Valenciana. The authors thank Dr. Alejandro Tena (IVIA) and Alice Mockford (University of Worcester) for helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript and Julio Marco for letting us conduct this research in his greenhouse and for his selfless support throughout project. JLR was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through a "Juan de la Cierva-Formacion" grant (FJCI-2016-28601).

One of the most studied and best-known mutualistic relationships between insects is that between ants and phloem-feeding insects. Ants feed on honeydew excreted by phloem-feeding insects and, in exchange, attack the phloem feeders’ natural enemies, including parasitic wasps. However, parasitic wasps are under selection to exploit information on hazards and avoid them. Here, we tested whether parasitic wasps detect the previous presence of ants attending colonies of phloem feeders. Behavioural assays demonstrate thatwasps left colonies previously attended by ants more frequently than control colonies. This behaviour has a potential cost for the parasitic wasp as females inserted their ovipositor in fewer hosts per colony. In a further bioassay, wasps spent less time on papers impregnated with extracts of the ant cues than on control papers. Gas chromatography coupled withmass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that ants left a blend of cuticular hydrocarbons when they attended colonies of phloem feeders. These cuticular hydrocarbons are deposited passively when ants search for food. Overall, these results suggest, for the first time, that parasitic wasps of honeydew producers detect the previous presence of mutualistic ants through contact infochemicals. We anticipate such interactions to be widespread and to have implications in numerous ecosystems, as phloem feeders are usually tended by ants.

Plant-based bioproduction of insect sex pheromones has been proposed as an innovative strategy to increase the sustainability of pest control in agriculture. Here, we describe the engineering of transgenic plants producing (Z) -11-hexadecenol (Z11-16OH) and (Z) -11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16OAc), two main volatile components in many Lepidoptera sex pheromone blends. We assembled multigene DNA constructs encoding the pheromone biosynthetic pathway and stably transformed them into Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The constructs contained the Amyelois transitella AtrΔ11 desaturase gene, the Helicoverpa armigera fatty acyl reductase HarFAR gene, and the Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase EaDAct gene in different configurations. All the pheromone-producing plants showed dwarf phenotypes, the severity of which correlated with pheromone levels. All but one of the recovered lines produced high levels of Z11-16OH, but very low levels of Z11-16OAc, probably as a result of recurrent truncations at the level of the EaDAct gene. Only one plant line (SxPv1.2) was recovered that harboured an intact pheromone pathway and which produced moderate levels of Z11-16OAc (11.8 μ g g -1 FW) and high levels of Z11-16OH (111.4 μ g g -1 ). Z11-16OAc production was accompanied in SxPv1.2 by a partial recovery of the dwarf phenotype. SxPv1.2 was used to estimate the rates of volatile pheromone release, which resulted in 8.48 ng g -1 FW per day for Z11-16OH and 9.44 ng g -1 FW per day for Z11-16OAc. Our results suggest that pheromone release acts as a limiting factor in pheromone biodispenser strategies and establish a roadmap for biotechnological improvements.

espanolLa variabilidad de los suelos que podemos encontrar en un area junto con la diversidad de los parametros bioclimaticos afectara a la misma especie, en nuestro caso Pistacia lentiscus L., en su perfil quimico. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar as caracteristicas bioclimaticas y los parametros del suelo que afectan a la composicion del aceite esencial (AE) de las hojas de la Pistacia lentiscus L. que crece en Valencia (Espana). La composicion de AE de las hojas secas de Pistacia lentiscus L, tomadas de cinco sitios de muestreo con diferencias notables en las caracteristicas del suelo y el clima, se analizaron por GC(MS) y GD(FID). Tambien se determinaron los principales parametros bioclimaticos y edaficos para relacionarlos con la composicion del aceite. α-Pineno (2,8-39,2%), mirceno (0,6-59,3%), β-felandreno (0,0-42,8%), germacreno-D (3,9-20,4%) y terpinen-4-ol (0,2-19,0%) fueron los compuestos principales que mostraron una alta variabilidad. Los cinco sitios de muestreo presentaron caracteristicas bioclimaticas y edaficas bien definidas, que podrian estar relacionadas con perfiles especificos de AE. Los resultados obtenidos sugirieron que la composicion de AE de P. lentiscus L. depende mas de los factores edaficos que interactuan con las condiciones bioclimaticas que del propio origen geografico. En base a los resultados se podrian establecer algunas tendencias generales: el Arenosol calcico (Saler) con alto indice de evapotranspiracion podria estar asociado con una alta tasa de fraccion sesquiterpenica, (germacreno-D y β-cariofileno, principalmente). Se encontro que en los Luvisoles (Borrell y L'Ull), con altas cantidades de α + β-pineno, estaba relacionado con condiciones bioclimaticas subhumedas y suelos arcillosos y fertiles (altos niveles de CIC y MO). Este ultimo requerimiento tambien se observo relacionado con el contenido de mirceno, pero con condiciones climaticas mas secas y suelos calcareos (Calcisol haplico), con alto nivel de carbonatos y cal activa (Lliria). El resto de las fracciones de hidrocarburos monoterpenos y monoterpenos oxigenados (terpinen-4-ol, principalmente) podrian estar relacionados con suelos de clima seco y no calcareos y de baja fertilidad (Regosol eutrico, Segart). Dada la composicion mas adecuada relacionada con actividades biologicas especificas y utiles, se deben realizar nuevas investigaciones de factores ambientales controlados (caracteristicas del suelo y condiciones bioclimaticas) con el fin de definir las mejores condiciones para el manejo de cultivos industriales de P. lentiscus L EnglishThe variability of the soils found in an area together with the diversity of the bioclimatic parameters will affect the chemical profile of plant species, in our case Pistacia lentiscus L. The aim of this work is to analyse the bioclimatic characteristics and soil parameters affecting the essential oil (EO) composition of the leaves of the Pistacia lentiscus L. growing in Valencia (Spain). The EO compositions of dried leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L. from five sampling sites with noticeable differences in soil and climate features were analysed by GC(MS) and GD(FID). The main bioclimatic and soil parameters were also determined in order to relate them to oil composition. α-pinene (2.8-39.2%), myrcene (0.6-59.3%), β-phellandrene (0.0-42.8%), germacrene-D (3.9-20.4%) and terpinen-4-ol (0.2-19.0%) were found to be the major compounds showing a high variability. The five sampling sites presented well-defined bioclimatic and edaphic characteristics that could be related to specific EO profiles. The results suggested that the EO composition of P. lentiscus L. depends more on the edaphic factors interacting with bioclimate conditions than on the geographical origin itself. Some general trends could be established based on the results: the Calcaric Arenosol (Saler) with a high evapotranspiration index was associated with a high sesquiterpenic fraction, (germacrene-D and β-caryophyllene, mainly). The Luvisol (Borrell and L’Ull), with high amounts of α + β-pinene, were found to be related to sub-humid bioclimatic conditions and clayey and fertile soils (high CEC and OM levels). This last requirement was also observed to be related to the myrcene content, but with drier climatic conditions and calcareous soils (Haplic Calcisol) with high level of carbonates and active lime (Lliria). The rest of hydrocarbon monoterpene and oxygenated monoterpene (terpinen-4-ol, mainly) fractions could be related to a dry climate and non-calcareous and low fertility soils (Eutric Regosol, Segart). Given the most suitable composition related to specific and useful biological activities, new research of controlled environmental factors (soil features and bioclimatic conditions) should be conducted in order to define the best conditions to manage industrial crops of P. lentiscus L. portuguesA variabilidade dos solos que podemos encontrar numa area conjuntamente com a diversidade dos parâmetros bioclimaticos afetara o perfil quimico duma especie, no caso presente a Pistacia lentiscus L. O objetivo deste trabalho e analisar as caracteristicas bioclimaticas e os parâmetros do solo que afetam a composicao do oleo essencial (OE) das folhas de Pistacia lentiscus L. que cresce em Valencia (Espanha). A composicao OE das folhas secas de Pistacia lentiscus L., colhidas em cinco locais de amostragem com diferencas notorias no solo e nas caracteristicas climaticas, foi analisada por GC-MS e GD-FID. Os principais parâmetros bioclimaticos e do solo tambem foram determinados e relacionados com a composicao do oleo. Os principais compostos identificados e que mostraram alta variabilidade foram: α-pineno (2,8-39,2%), mirceno (0,6-59,3%), β-felandreno (0,0-42,8%), germacreno-D (3,9-20,4%) e terpineno-4-ol (0,2-19,0). Os cinco locais de amostragem apresentaram caracteristicas bioclimaticas e edaficas bem definidas, que podem estar relacionadas com perfis especificos de OE. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a composicao do OE de P. lentiscus L. depende mais dos fatores edaficos que interagem com as condicoes bioclimaticas do que da propria origem geografica. Com base nos resultados podem ser estabelecidas algumas tendencias gerais: O Arenossolo calcico (Saler) com elevado indice de evapotranspiracao pode estar associado a uma alta taxa de fracao sesquiterpenica, (principalmente germacreno-D e β-cariofileno). O Luvissol (Borrell e L’Ull), com elevadas quantidades de α + β-pineno, estava relacionado com condicoes bioclimaticas sub-humidas e solos argilosos e ferteis (altos niveis de CTC e MO). Observou-se tambem que este ultimo requisito esta relacionado com o teor de mirceno, mas com condicoes climaticas mais secas e solos calcarios (Calcissolo Haplico), com alto teor de carbonatos e calcario ativo (Lliria). O restante das fracoes de hidrocarbonetos monoterpenos e monoterpenos oxigenados (principalmente terpineno-4-ol) podem estar relacionadas com clima seco e solos nao calcarios e de baixa fertilidade (Regossolo Eutrico, Segart). Dada a composicao mais adequada estar relacionada com atividades biologicas especificas e uteis, devem realizarse novas investigacoes de fatores ambientais controlados (caracteristicas do solo e condicoes bioclimaticas) para definir as melhores condicoes para a gestao de culturas industriais de P. Lentiscus L.

In the original publication of the article, the authors have inadvertently presented Figs.1-4 that were prepared from an incorrect data-set and were therefore inaccurate. The corrected figures and related statistical results are published herein. In addition, data supporting the corrected figures are provided as new supplementary online material (Supplementary Table 2 and Supplementary Figs. 3-6). The ecological relevance of certain responses to particular treatments were still discussed when P-values neared 0.05 (Wasserstein et al. 2019). This was the case of the preferences of Tetranychus urticae for (a) conspecific infested plants, where Cleopatra mandarin was preferred to sour orange (P ≤ 0.058), and (b) when having to choose between clean and infested Cleopatra mandarin, where infested plants were mostly preferred (P = 0.058) (Fig. 1; Supplementary Fig. 3). Similarly, the preferences of Euseius stipulatus and Neoseiulus californicus for T. urticae body odors were associated with a P-value of 0.058 (Figs. 2 and 3; Supplementary Figs. 4, 5). Finally, when having to choose between the same plant genotype, either infested or not, a P = 0.058 was obtained for N. californicus and sour orange (Fig. 3; Supplementary Fig. 5) and for Phytoseiulus persimilis and both sour orange and Cleopatra mandarin (Fig. 4; Supplementary Fig. 6). As a consequence, the conclusions discussed in the paper remain valid.

[EN] The monoculture situation of truffle cultivation is favoring the appearance of pests that would not be economically important in naturally balanced forest ecosystems. The most prominent of them is the European truffle beetle Leiodes cinnamomeus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), for which there are no effective control methods capable of reducing its populations. The potential of the mass trapping technique against this beetle, based on adapted pitfall traps and the semiochemical methyl disulfide as an attractant, is explored in the present work. Two trap densities (40 and 80 traps/ha) were tested in 2-yr field trials carried out in the region of Teruel (Spain) with black truffle cultivation tradition. Kairomone dispensers were placed in the field immediately before adult outbreak and remained active there throughout the season. The efficacy of each treatment was measured according to the reduction in beetle populations and the damaged truffles in the center of the treated areas. The results showed that both trapping densities reduced adult populations (mean 57% catch reduction), but 80 traps/ha were needed to significantly lower damage parameters (>40% reduction), percentage of attacked truffles and number of galleries/g truffle. The cost effectiveness of these treatments and possible improvements are discussed., This work has been supported by the project `A2. Efectos de Leiodes sobre la produccion de trufa negra de Teruel: evaluacion de la incidencia y posibilidades de control' from Gobierno de Aragon (FITE 2016). We would like to thank the owners of the fields (Jose Igual, Hnos Salvador Redon (Eugenio y Eladio) and Daniel and Maria from Trufas Bertolin SL) for allowing us to use their orchards and their trust to manage truffles. Finally, we also want to thank Pablo Lopez for his support in the field work, Helen Warburton for English editing and Prof. Gonzalo Garcia-Donato for the statistical support.

Mating disruption (MD) is widely used against the European grapevine moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schifferm&uuml, ller, Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), by installing passive dispensers or aerosol devices. The present work reports a new sampling and quantification methodology to obtain absolute data about field airborne pheromone concentration based on air samplings and sensitive chromatographic-spectroscopic methods. Samplings were performed in fields treated with passive dispensers or aerosol devices at different moments throughout the crop cycle to study how they act and how the disruption is triggered. Moreover, pheromone adsorption and releasing capacity of vine leaves were studied to elucidate their role in the disruption. Although both types of dispensers were effective in limiting the damage inflicted by EGVM, they performed differently and provided different airborne pheromone concentration profiles. Results also proved that leaves were able to adsorb and release part of the airborne pheromone acting as subsequent and additional pheromone sources. This fact could explain the different concentration profiles. Moreover, our results suggest that lower pheromone emission than that of the current passive dispensers still could provide an adequate performance in the field. Competitive mechanisms involved in MD using both dispensers, the dynamics of the airborne pheromone throughout the time and the importance of the canopy are discussed.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Dembilio, O. , Moya, P. , Vacas, S. , Ortega‐Garcia, L. , Quesada‐Moraga, E. , Jaques, J. A. and Navarro‐Llopis, V. (2018), Development of an attract‐and‐infect system to control Rhynchophorus ferrugineus with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Pest. Manag. Sci, 74: 1861-1869., which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1002/ps.4888. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving

[EN] Native to sub-Saharan Africa, Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudoccidae) is an invasive mealybug that has been recently reported in Europe, seriously damaging citrus production in eastern Spain. In this study, we isolated and determined the structure of the sex pheromone of D. aberiae, to provide a highly specific and effective lure for detecting, monitoring, and potentially controlling this pest. The volatile profile of D. aberiae virgin and mated females was studied by aeration and collection of effluvia in Porapak-Q The resulting extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), revealing a candidate compound specific of virgin females. GC-MS and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy data evidenced a new compound, (4,5,5-trimethyl-3-methylenecyclopent-1-en-1-yl)methyl acetate, with an unusual beta-necrodol skeleton. This compound was synthesized and shown to be attractive to male D. aberiae in both laboratory and field experiments. A GC analysis using an enantioselective stationary phase and polarimetry analyses of the synthetic enantiomers showed the natural compound emitted by virgin females to be the - enantiomer., This work received funding from Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (postdoctoral contract for SV) and Conselleria de Agricultura, Medio Ambiente, Cambio Climaico y Desarrollo Rural (Generalitat Valenciana) under grant agreement (S8456000)

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), has become a key pest for soft fruits and cherries in Europe in less than a decade since the first outbreak in 2007. Although this pest&rsquo, s passive dispersal ability has been observed over more than 1400 km in 1 year, active spread has not yet been extensively studied. A mark&minus, release&minus, recapture (MRR) method based on protein-marked flies was employed to determine the flight capacity of D. suzukii. Sterile marked flies were released and recaptured in a trap grid at increasing distances from 10 to 250 m from the releasing point to study flight distance during periods ranging from 3 h to 1 week. MRR experiments were replicated in the presence and absence of host fruits to study how they could affect dispersal behavior. The dispersal capacity of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae) was also studied under the same conditions. The results showed a low dispersal ability for D. suzukii, with a daily flight distance below 100 m with no predominant wind. The implications on natural dispersion and control methods based on attractants are discussed.

[EN] Sour orange, Citrus aurantium, displays higher constitutive and earlier inducible direct defenses against the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, than Cleopatra mandarin, Citrus reshni. Moreover, herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) produced by sour orange upon infestation can induce resistance in Cleopatra mandarin but not vice versa. Because the role of these HIPVs in indirect resistance remains ignored, we have carried out a series of behavioral assays with three predatory mites with different levels of specialization on this herbivore, from strict entomophagy to omnivory. We have further characterized the volatile blend associated with T. urticae, which interestingly includes the HIPV methyl salicylate, as well as that produced by induced Cleopatra mandarin plants. Although a preference for less defended plants with presumably higher prey densities (i.e., C. reshni) was expected, this was not always the case. Because predators' responses changed with diet width, with omnivore predators responding to both HIPVs and prey-related odors and specialized ones mostly to prey, our results reveal that these responses depend on plant genotype, prey presence and predator diet specialization. As the different volatile blends produced by infested sour orange, induced Cleopatra mandarin and T. urticae itself are attractive to T. urticae natural enemies but not to the herbivore, they may provide clues to develop new more sustainable tools to manipulate these agriculturally relevant species., The research leading to these results was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2014-55616-C3; AGL2015-64990-2R). The authors thank M. Piquer (UJI) for technical assistance. MC received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2015-074570), and MP was the recipient of a research fellowship from INIA, Spain (subprogram DOC INIA-CCAA).

Dentro de la investigación en el ámbito agroalimentario, existe un creciente interés por la aplicación de productos naturales cuya actividad biológica: antibacteriana, antifúngica, herbicida, etc. como alternativa más adecuada desde una perspectiva medioambiental a los productos de síntesis química utilizados habitualmente. Ello ha de proyectarse desde el punto de vista docente en la introducción de actividades educativas que contribuyan a fomentar una mayor sensibilidad en torno a todos los valores relacionados con la sostenibilidad y el respeto al medio ambiente.Entre los citados productos naturales ocupan un lugar destacado los aceites esenciales obtenidos de plantas aromáticas, tan características de nuestro entorno mediterráneo. Por otra parte, muchos aspectos de su obtención y de la experimentación de su actividad biológica son susceptibles de un tratamiento didáctico relativamente asequible, pudiendo constituir el eje de tareas educativas innovadoras.En este trabajo se presentan algunas propuestas concretas relacionadas con la introducción al conocimiento de las plantas aromáticas y medicinales, la obtención y caracterización química de los aceites esenciales, así como dos ejemplos de su actividad biológica: antifúngica e inhibidora de la germinación.

Background The optimisation of the lure is essential for the implementation of trapping systems to control insect pests. In this work, the response of the red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, to increasing emission rates of its aggregation pheromone (ferrugineol) and the efficacy of a convenient synthetic kairomone based on fermentation odours (ethyl acetate and ethanol) have been evaluated in different years and locations along the Mediterranean basin. Results In general, although capture data and emission had noticeable variability among locations, significantly fewer RPW were captured in pyramidal Picusan® traps with the lowest ferrugineol emission rates tested (0.6-3.8 mg day-1 ). Captures increased rapidly with ferrugineol emission up to 4-5 mg day-1 ; then, higher emission rates did not improve or reduce captures, up to the highest emission rate tested of 50.9 mg day-1 . Thus, there is no evidence of an optimum release rate corresponding to a maximum of RPW catches. Traps baited with the synthetic kairomone (1:3 ethyl acetate/ethanol) captured 1.4-2.2 times more total weevils than traps baited only with ferrugineol. Moreover, in most of the locations, the synthetic blend was at least as effective as the local coattractants used (plant material + molasses). Conclusions Ferrugineol emission rate can vary in a wide range without significantly affecting RPW response. Coattractants based on fermenting compounds, ethyl acetate and ethanol, are able to improve the attractant level of ferrugineol and could be employed to replace non-standardised natural kairomones in RPW trapping systems after further optimisation of their proportions and doses. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

[EN] Improved trap efficacy is crucial for implementing control methods for red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier; Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), based on trapping systems, such as mass trapping, attract and infect or attract and sterilize techniques. Although new trap designs have been proposed and aggregation pheromone dispensers have been optimized, aspects such as the use of co-attractants (molasses) and trap placement are still not well defined and standardized. The efficacy of three concentrations of molasses and different formulations to reduce water evaporation in traps was studied in different field trials to improve trapping systems and to prolong trap servicing periods. In addition, the performance of installing groups of traps or single traps was also evaluated with the aim of improving the attracted/captured weevils ratio. Our results showed that captures increased when molasses were added at 15% to the water contained in the trap and that a thin layer of oil, created by adding 2-3% of paraffinic oil to water, was able to effectively reduce evaporation and prolong trap servicing periods. Moreover, 3.5-fold more weevils were captured when placing five traps instead of one at the same trapping point. Results obtained allow improved efficacy and may have an impact in the economic viability of trapping systems and, therefore, in integrated pest management programs., We want to thank Vicente Dalmau from Conselleria de Agricultura, Peixca i Alimentacio (GVA) and Jose Juan Lopez from TRAGSA for their help and technical assistance in field trials. Also, we want to thank Helen Warburton for English editing. The research leading to these results has received funding from the 7th European Union Framework Programme under grant agreement FP7 KBBE 2011-5-289566 (PALM PROTECT).

[EN] The seasonal variation of essential oil composition of aerial parts and roots of Artemisia absinthium L. has been investigated. It was obtained from individuals growing wild in Teruel (Spain) by means of hydrodistillation (aerial parts) or simultaneous distillation extraction (roots), and analyzed by GC/MS and GC/FID. Results showed a predominance of oxygenated monoterpenes (81.4-89.1%) in aerial parts; mainly (Z)-epoxyocimene (49.3-71.5%), (Z)-chrysanthemyl acetate (7.6-18%) and linalool (0.7-10.4%). In spite of the high intrapopulational variability, significant variations were observed for these three compounds. Root essential oil composition showed a high amount of hydrocarbon monoterpenes (43.8-55.1%) and monoterpenic esters (36.6-41.5%) with a noticeable seasonal stability except for some allelopathic oxygenated monoterpenes. As A. absinthium is a typical invasive species, knowing the seasonal variations of these compounds may be a first step to study their release in soil as a source for natural herbicides.

The influence of a-copaene as a fruit volatile in the susceptibility of Olea europaea L. to the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) has been investigated. By studies on the relative area of volatile components from different cultivars, a positive correlation was found between the abundance of a-copaene in the samples and the corresponding degree of fruit infestation. SPME-GC-MS analysis of volatiles from uninfested fruits of O. europaea L. cv. Serrana were performed over two years to determine the variation of a-copaene throughout the different phenological stages. The results suggested that this sesquiterpene has a significant effect on cultivar susceptibility and may act as an oviposition promoter. Further analysis by chiral GC showed that olive fruits release both a-copaene enantiomers. Bioassays on each enantiomer revealed that fruits with increased amounts of (+)-alpha-copaene favor oviposition of B. oleae females, whereas the increase of (-)-alpha-copaene affords no statistically significant differences in host preference.

[EN] Essential oil (EO) extracts coming from two representative populations of Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. subesp. suaveolens in Eastern Iberian Peninsula were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and flame ion detector. Plant sampling was carried out in the morning and evening in order to study diurnal variation in EO profiles. Likewise, leaves and inflorescences were analyzed separately. Two chemotypes corresponding to each one of the populations were identified, with piperitenone oxide (35.2 - 74.3%) and piperitone oxide (83.9 - 91.3%), respectively, as major compounds. Once different chemotypes were identified, canonical correspondence analysis was employed to evaluate the effect of the bioclimatic and edaphic factors recorded in each location on the observed differences. Statistical analysis suggested that these chemotypes were closely related to specific environmental factors, mainly the bioclimatic ones. Concretely, piperitenone oxide chemotype can be associated to supramediterranean bioclimatic conditions and soils with major salinity and water field capacity. On the other hand, the most volatile fraction (hydrocarbon monoterpenes) reached its higher level in the morning; specifically, a noticeable amount of limonene was found in morning samples of flowers (4.8 - 10.6%). This fact can be related to ecological role of volatile compounds in order to attract pollinator insects.

[EN] The four-spotted coconut weevil, Diocalandra frumenti Fabricius (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), is a small weevil found attacking economically important palm species, such as coconut, date,, oil, and Canary palms. Given the scarcity of detection and management tools for this pest, the availability of a pheromone to be included in trapping protocols would be a crucial advantage. Previous laboratory experiments showed evidence for aggregation behavior; thus, our main goal was to identify the aggregation pheromone in this species. The volatile profile of D. frumenti individuals was studied by aeration and collection of effluvia in Porapak-Q and also by solid phase microextraction (SPME) techniques. Moreover, solvent extraction of previously frozen crushed individuals was also performed. All resulting extracts and SPME fibers were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The comparison of male and female samples provided the candidate compound, 5ethyl-2,4-dimethy1-6,8-dioxabicyclo [3.2.1]octane (multistriatin), whose biological activity was evaluated in olfactometer and field assays., This work received funding from Direccion General de Agricultura del Gobierno de Canarias (Spain).

[EN] Attraction of California red scale males, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), to different release rates of the sex pheromone compound 3-methyl-6-isopropenyl-9-decen-1-yl acetate was evaluated in field trials. This study was aimed to study pheromone emission-response correlations and the existence of an optimum release rate that maximizes trapping efficacy. Release profiles of the pheromone dispensers deployed were determined by gas chromatography to estimate the various emission rates tested. The results reveal that the mean number of A. aurantii males caught correlates with the daily pheromone release rates by means of a quadratic model. The obtained model indicates the existence of a relative maximum of the captures corresponding to an optimum release rate of ca. 300 mu g/day. Higher emission rates (up to 1 g/day) resulted in lower captures. Implications for the mating disruption technique are discussed., The research leading to these results received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [project number AGL2009-10725].

The authors would like to thank 'Coop. San Bernardo de Carlet', Carlos Monzo and Vicente Morato for providing trial orchards. This research was funded by the Atomic International Energy Agency through research contract No. 15726. Thanks also to Suterra Europe Biocontrol SL for providing Magnet (R) MED devices.

Given the social importance related to the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), efforts are being made to develop new control methods, such as the deployment of trapping systems. In this work, the efficacy of a new black pyramidal trap design (Picusan) has been verified in comparison with white and black buckets. In addition, the attractant and synergistic effect of ethyl acetate (EtAc) at different release levels has been evaluated under field conditions. The results show that Picusan traps captured 45% more weevils than bucket-type traps, offering significantly better trapping efficacy. The addition of water to traps baited with palm tissues was found to be essential, with catches increasing more than threefold compared with dry traps. EtAc alone does not offer attractant power under field conditions, and the release levels from 57 mg/d to 1 g/d have no synergistic effect with ferrugineol. Furthermore, significantly fewer females were captured when EtAc was released at 2 g/d. The implications of using EtAc dispensers in trapping systems are discussed.

The essential oil composition of leaves and roots of twenty individuals of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) belonging to different chemotypes has been investigated. They were obtained from two accesions coming from Hungarian and Spanish wild populations. Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS and GC/FID. Results showed a great individual variability of wormwood accesions. Based on leaves, three chemotypes (sabinene + myrcene, -thujone and new sesquiterpene type accounting up to 80.8% of sesquiterpenic fraction) were found in the Hungarian population and two chemotypes ((Z)--epoxyocimene and (Z)--epoxyocimene + (Z)-chrysanthemyl acetate types) were present in the Spanish one. The composition of EO of the roots from both locations was predominated by monoterpenic esters (14.5-80.2% and 59.9-90.3%, in Hungarian and Spanish samples respectively) but characteristic quantitative and qualitative differences were present. No relationship was found between the composition of EO of roots and leaves of the same plant.

International audience; Predatory insects are key natural enemies that can highly reduce crops pest damage. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the movements of flying predatory insects in agroecosystems throughout the year. In particular, it is still unclear how these predators move from crop to non-crop habitats, which are the preferred habitats to overwinter and to spread during the spring and if these predators leave or stay after chemical treatments. Here, the Neuroptera, a generalist, highly mobile, flying predator order of insects, was selected as model. We studied the effects of farming management and the efficiency of edge shelterbelts, ground cover vegetation, and fruit trees canopy on holding flying predatory insects in Mediterranean traditional agroecosystems. Seasonal movements and winter effects were also assessed. We evaluated monthly nine fruit agroecosystems, six organic, and three pesticides sprayed, of 0.5–1 ha in eastern Spain during 3 years using two complementary methods, yellow sticky traps and aspirator. Results show surprisingly that the insect abundance was highest in pesticide sprayed systems, with 3.40 insects/sample versus 2.32 insects/sample in organic systems. The biodiversity indices were highest in agroecosystems conducted under organic management, with S of 4.68 and D of 2.34. Shelterbelts showed highest biodiversity indices, S of 3.27 and D of 1.93, among insect habitats. Insect species whose adults were active during the winter preferred fruit trees to spend all year round. However, numerous species moved from fruit trees to shelterbelts to overwinter and dispersed into the orchard during the following spring. The ground cover vegetation showed statistically much lower attractiveness for flying predatory insects than other habitats. Shelterbelts should therefore be the first option in terms of investment in ecological infrastructures enhancing flying predators.

1,8-cineole defines a typical chemotype of Thymus vulgaris L. in Iberian Peninsula. This compound has a wide range of potentially useful bioactive properties. In order to study the influence of drought stress in the essential oil (EO) composition of this chemotype, sixty plants from six wild populations of Eastern Iberian Peninsula were distilled and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The harvest dates (May and August) were selected in such a way that the typical summer drought in Mediterranean climates was the critical factor affecting EO composition. Despite the high intrapopulational variability, significant increases of 1,8-cineole were found after the drought period (21.8%–43.2%, in May, up to 42.6%–68.5% in August). On the other hand, individuals from one of the populations showed different profiles rich in linalool and camphor or sesquiterpenoid compounds, such as α-cadinol.

BACKGROUND: The control of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann traditionally has relied on chemical control with organophosphate insecticides. The use of many of these substances has been banned by new European directives; therefore, the development of new control methods is essential to manage this pest. Bait sprays with spinosad, mass trapping and lure-and-kill techniques have been the base for new integrated pest management programmes. In this study, a 2 year field trial was conducted in two citrus areas to test the efficacy of attract-and-kill devices against mass trapping and spinosad-plus-bait treatments. RESULTS: The Magnet® MED attract-and-kill device, Spintor® treatments and mass trapping achieved good control of C. capitata populations, as confirmed by low percentages of damaged fruit in the assessments performed during the harvest period. On the other hand, fly population levels on plots treated with other attract-and-kill prototype devices increased more than threefold by comparison with the populations recorded in the rest of the treated plots. The same effect was observed for fruit damage, with 6–8 times less damage with Magnet® MED and spinosad treatments, respectively, than with the attract-and-kill prototype devices. CONCLUSION: By using an effective attractant, conventional trapping systems can be replaced with cheaper and easier-to-handle attract-and-kill devices. The efficacy of these devices and their advantages over conventional mass trapping systems are discussed. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

BACKGROUND: In recent years, environmentally safe measures to control the California red scale (CRS), Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), have been successfully implemented. These measures include mating disruption (MD) and biological control. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of high concentrations of the CRS sex pheromone on its life history parameters and scale-cover surface area under controlled laboratory conditions. RESULTS: The developmental time of bothmales and females of CRS increased with exposure to airborne pheromone.MD had an effect on both the total number of progeny and on the crawler production period for females. Accordingly, demographic parameters such as net fecundity (R0) and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) were significantly lower in the pheromone-treated populations. The largest scale-cover surface areas were observed in the CRS reared in the pheromone environment. CONCLUSION:Aclear influence of airborne pheromone on the biology of CRS has been demonstrated. In addition to the classical mating disruption benefits of this technique, additional benefits, such as increase in the duration of exposure to natural enemies and increase in size, which benefits some species of parasitoids, have been confirmed., The authors thank H Monton, C Vidal and D Martinez for technical assistance with experiments. This work was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects AGL2008-05287-C04/AGR and AGL2009-10725) and the Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Alimentacio de la Generalitat Valenciana. PV was the recipient of a grant from IVIA. Thanks also to the Ecologia y Proteccion Agricola S.L. for supplying the pheromone.

BACKGROUND: New directives on sustainable use of pesticides have encouraged research on efficient alternative pest control methods. In the case of the California red scale (CRS), Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), this imperative, along with the many difficulties in controlling this pest, have led to the investigation of new approaches. Previously developed mating disruption (MD) dispensers, together with the augmentative releases of the parasitoid Aphytis melinus DeBach, are here considered as a combined strategy for use against A. aurantii. RESULTS: Efficacy of MD was demonstrated by a mean reduction of 80% in CRS male catches and a mean fruit damage reduction of 83% compared with the control. A delay in the development of A. aurantii instars was observed in the MD plot. This delay increased the period of exposure of the susceptible instars to natural enemies, which resulted in higher predation and parasitism levels in the MD plot. Under laboratory conditions, A. melinus mating behaviour and effects on A. aurantii were not significantly altered in a CRS-pheromone-saturated environment. CONCLUSION: Mating disruption pheromone did not affect the behaviour or level of parasitism by A. melinus or the incidence of other generalist predators. Therefore, A. aurantii pheromone appears to be compatible with augmentative releases and biological control, making its use a good strategy for CRS management. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

BACKGROUND: The tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta Povolny) has rapidly colonised the whole Mediterranean and South-Atlantic coasts of Spain, and it has become a key problem in both outdoor and greenhouse crops. New control methods compatible with biological control are required, and mating disruption appears to be a perfect method in current agriculture, as it is an environmentally friendly and residue-free technique. IPM packages tested have included the use of pheromones to detect populations, but there has not been much previous research on mating disruption of T. absoluta. In this work, pheromone doses varying from 10 to 40 g ha−1, emitted at a constant rate over 4 months, were tested in greenhouses with different levels of containment in order to evaluate the efficacy of mating disruption on T. absoluta. RESULTS: Trials on containment level revealed that the flight of T. absoluta was satisfactorily disrupted with an initial pheromone dose of 30 g ha−1, and levels of damage did not significantly differ from those in reference plots with insecticide treatments. Later efficacy trials confirmed previous experiences, and release studies showed that control of damage and flight disruption were taking place when releasing at least 85 mg pheromone per ha per day. CONCLUSION: Effective control using pheromone application against T. absoluta can be achieved, in greenhouses with high containment levels, for 4 months, with initial doses of 30 g ha−1. Further research must be conducted in order to evaluate the prospect of outdoor application of mating disruption systems. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

Since the discovery of Lobesia botrana Denis & Schiffermuller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) sex pheromone, it has played an important role in the control and detection of this pest, for example, through the use of pheromone-baited traps and mating disruption techniques. Rubber septa are the most common pheromone dispensers used in monitoring traps, but often dispenser performance is not optimized. The key to improve methods based on pheromones as attractants (monitoring, mass trapping, or ‘attract and kill’) is to know the optimum emission interval, because release rates can strongly affect the attraction. In this work, five levels of pheromone load with different release rates were compared in traps using mesoporous pheromone dispensers to investigate the optimum release rate maximizing L. botrana catches. Residual pheromone loads of the dispensers were extracted and quantified by gas chromatography, to study release profiles and to estimate the various emission levels. The efficacy of pheromone emission was measured in field trials as number of moths caught. A quadratic model was fitted to relate the numbers caught vs. the daily emission rates. The resulting quadratic term was statistically significant, confirming the existence of a relative maximum for L. botrana catches. Taking into account that the trial was carried out only in one location, an optimum emission value of ca. 400 μg per day could be considered to enhance the attraction of L. botrana under West-Mediterranean weather conditions.

BACKGROUND: The control of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), has encountered many difficulties, which has raised interest in alternative control methods. Up to now, the A. aurantii sex pheromone has been used only for monitoring. In a previous work the authors described a biodegradable mesoporous pheromone dispenser for mating disruption. To verify the efficacy of these dispensers, three field trials were conducted, and the results are shown in this paper. RESULTS: The study of the release profile of these dispensers revealed a mean pheromone emission value of 269 µg day−1 and levels of residual pheromone of 10% at the end of 250 days. During the second flight, an A. aurantii male catch reduction of 98% was achieved in the mating disruption plot of trial 1, 93.5% in trial 2 and 76.7% in trial 3. During the third flight, reductions were 94.1, 82.9 and 68.1% in trials 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Considering damaged fruit with more than five scales, reductions of about 80 and 60% were obtained in the mating disruption plots of trials 2 and 3, respectively, compared with an untreated plot, and a reduction of about 70% in trial 1 compared with an oil-treated plot. CONCLUSION: Mating disruption has been found to be an efficient technique to control this pest, working equally well to a correctly sprayed oil treatment. Further studies are needed to improve the determination of the time of dispenser application and evaluate the effects of the pheromone on natural enemies. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Traditional chemical control against Chilo suppressalis Walker is currently being replaced in Spain by new methods based on pheromones. A key step to improve the efficacy of these methods is the determination of the optimum pheromone release rate, which is still uncertain for this pest. In this work, the pheromone release profile and the field performance of a new mesoporous dispenser was compared with a standard commercial dispenser. For this purpose, pheromone loads were extracted from field-aged dispensers and quantified by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. In addition, a field trial was carried out with traps baited with one, two, or three mesoporous dispensers per trap, as well as with traps containing one standard dispenser. We found that the highest number of field catches did not correspond to the highest pheromone emission rate, which suggests a repellent effect of the insect if the emission is excessive. The results suggest that the attractant activity was maximized by emitting approximately 34 microg/d. The efficacy of the mesoporous dispenser and its possible improvements are discussed.

Mating disruption has proved successful against California red scale (CRS), Aonidiella aurantii Maskell (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in Mediterranean citrus. Although mating disruption does not affect negatively the parasitism by Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a CRS parasitoid introduced to the Mediterranean, there is no information regarding its potential effect on the native Aphytis species. In the present study, the effect of CRS mating disruption on the field parasitism inflicted by Aphytis spp. has been assessed and compared to a mineral oil and a control treatment. In order to confirm the effectiveness of the mating disruption we also evaluated its effect on the captures of the CRS males and on fruit infestation. Moreover, the potential role of the CRS sex pheromone as kairomone for the Aphytis species was also evaluated by comparing captures of parasitoids on sticky traps with or without pheromone. Significantly lower CRS male captures and fruit damage were registered in the mating disruption respect to the control or oil treatments indicating that mating disruption was effective. In September, when compared to the control, parasitism by Aphytis spp. was significantly lower in the mating disruption and mineral oil treatments and crucially no Aphytis chrysomphali Mercet were registered in the mating disruption treatment. Finally, while the captures of both A. melinus and Aphytis lepidosaphes (Mercet) were not significantly different between traps with or without pheromone, A. chrysomphali captures were significantly higher in traps baited with CRS pheromone. These results suggest a possible kairomonal effect of the CRS pheromone on A. chrysomphali .

[EN] Trapping systems for the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, rely on the use of natural plant odor sources to boost the attractiveness of the aggregation pheromone. The identification of the key odorants involved in attraction is essential in the development of a synthetic pheromone synergist to replace the nonstandardized use of plant material in traps. Canary Islands date palms (Phoenix canariensis) have become preferred hosts for R. ferrugineus in Europe; thus, the volatile profile of different P. canariensis plant materials, including healthy and infested tissues, is investigated in the present work by means of solid phase microextraction (SPME-GC-MS), aimed to identify pheromone synergists. The electroantennography (EAG) response of the compounds identified was recorded, as well as the preliminary field response of several EAG-active compounds. The so-called palm esters (ethyl acetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl butyrate, and propyl butyrate) elicit the strongest EAG responses but performed poorly in the field. Mixtures of esters and alcohols give evidence of better performance, but release rates need further optimization., The research leading to these results has received funding from the 7th European Union Framework Programme under Grant Agreement FP7 KBBE 2011-5-289566 (PALM PROTECT).

The use of traps and other attract-and-kill devices in pest management strategies to reduce Mediterranean fruit fly populations has proved to be efficient. Nevertheless, many farmers are concerned about the effect of these devices on the trees where they are hung. Direct field observations have revealed that fruit damage is higher in trees with traps than in trees without them. This work evaluates the efficacy of different types of attract-and-kill device to protect fruit of the single tree on which the device is placed.Results suggested that trees with traps had at least the same fruit damage than trees without them. When traps were baited with protein hydrolysate, fruit damage was even higher than in trees without traps. However, fruit damage was significantly diminished when efficient bait station devices were used.Although mass trapping is able to control fruit fly populations as a control method, trees with some types of trap and bait are more susceptible to fly puncture. However, bait station devices reduce fruit damage in the single trees where they are hung. Bait stations are more efficient in fruit protection because fruit flies are affected as soon as they contact the device. Some recommendations for the use of the different attract-and-kill devices are discussed.

This chapter reviews the main methods, trapping devices, and effectiveness of the mass trapping technique along with the history of mass trapping applied to fruit flies. Since the success of mass trapping depends heavily on the type of trap and bait used, studies addressing these parameters are summarized. Based on the authors’ personal experiences and the most relevant studies, we present an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of mass trapping and comment on the implementation strategies that may influence its effectiveness.