🌿 Pheromone mating disruption

Pheromone mating disruption is a pest control method in which a vineyard is filled with the synthetic sex pheromone of a pest moth, so that males cannot reliably find females. In vineyards it is used against the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana), a key vineyard pest that has long been controlled this way. The pheromone is (E,Z)-7,9-dodecadien-1-yl acetate, and commercial products are mixtures of its isomers.

Two mechanisms are distinguished. In competitive disruption, females compete with artificial pheromone sources, so efficacy depends on pest density. In non-competitive disruption, males or the pheromone signal are impaired from the start of sexual activity. Passive dispensers appear to work mainly through competitive attraction, while aerosol devices may also draw males away from females towards the pheromone sources.

Two dispenser types are used. Passive dispensers are hand-applied plastic containers filled or impregnated with pheromone, which is released through their walls; traditional use is about 500 units per hectare, and more recent use about 250. Aerosol devices are mechanical units connected to a pressurised can that release pheromone at programmed intervals, at about 2-5 units per hectare.

Compared with pesticide-based methods, mating disruption is highly effective and specific and leaves no toxic residues on fruit. In a 2018 field trial in Valencia, Spain, dispensers were set in late April, after the first male catch. In untreated plots about 5% of bunches were damaged in early and mid summer, rising above 20% before harvest.