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Helopeltis cinchonae is an emerging pest of tea and causes severe damage to tea plantations in China. The female of H. cinchonae has been reported to produce a sex pheromone consisting of two components, hexyl (3R)-3-acetoxybutyrate and (5R)-1-acetoxy-5-butyroxyhexane, and lures containing the synthetic compounds have been shown to attract male H. cinchonae to traps in the field. This is the first time that components of the sex pheromone have been identified for a species of Helopeltis bug, but their field application has not been evaluated in detail. The present study shows that a blend of both compounds loaded into a polyethylene vial at 0.2 and 2 mg, respectively, caught significantly more male H. cinchonae bugs than the individual compounds and all the other tested blends. Sticky wing traps baited with the binary blend of compounds at the optimized ratio and dosage caught more bugs than bucket funnel or delta traps, and traps hung at a height of 10 cm above the tea shoots caught more bugs than those at other heights. The optimized traps and lures were used for monitoring the pest and two distinct population peaks of H. cinchonae were observed, the first one during mid-May to early June, and the other one in mid-September. Overall, the results of this study contribute to an environmentally-friendly approach to monitoring and managing H. cinchonae in the field.

Pesticide application is the only known control method for the tea tortrix Archips strojny (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which is a major pest of spring tea in China. To develop sex pheromone-based, environmentally safe control strategies, here we identified the sex pheromone components of this species. The male moths’ antennae responded electrophysiologically to two compounds in female pheromone gland extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the two bioactive compounds were (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH). Field trapping assays showed that lures baited with only the major component Z11-14:Ac were the most attractive to male moths, and the attractiveness decreased significantly when the lure was impregnated with increased relative ratios of the minor component Z11-14:OH. Our study demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the major attractant in the A. strojny sex pheromone, and the minor component Z11-14:OH seemed to serve as an antagonist. The results indicate that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool for A. strojny management in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was identified as a common sex pheromone attractant of nine Archips species; these results lay the foundation for developing mating disruption techniques that target multiple leafroller pests.

The stick tea thrip (Dendrothrips minowai) is one of the most serious sucking pests of tea plants (Camellia sinensis) in China, North Korea, and Japan. Plant volatile lures are widely used for both monitoring and mass trapping. Previously, we demonstrated that sticky traps baited with p-anisaldehyde, eugenol, farnesene, or 3-methyl butanal captured significantly more D. minowai in tea plantations, with p-anisaldehyde notably capturing the most. In this study, we showed that D. minowai adults exhibited significantly higher attraction to mixtures of p-anisaldehyde, eugenol, and farnesene compared to an equivalent dose of p-anisaldehyde alone in H-tube olfactometer assays under laboratory conditions. Moreover, in field experiments conducted in 2022, rubber septa impregnated with a ternary blend of p-anisaldehyde, eugenol, and farnesene (at 3–4.5 mg and a ratio of 3:1:1) captured the highest number of adults on sticky traps, outperforming traps bailed with individual components or a solvent control over two weeks. Significantly, the mass trapping strategy employing these lures achieved control efficacies ranging from 62.8% to 70.7% when compared to traps without attractant, which achieved control efficacies of only 14.2% to 35.4% across three test sites in 2023. These results indicate that the combination of p-anisaldehyde, eugenol, and farnesene exhibits an additive or synergistic effect on D. minowai. In conclusion, our findings establish a theoretical framework and provide practical technological support for integrating attractant-based strategies into comprehensive thrips management strategies.

Since the identification of the Ectropis grisescens sex pheromone, no effective control technology based on this pheromone has yet been developed and evaluated. In this study, pheromone proportion and dosage, sustained-release dispensers, and pheromone lure-matched traps were optimized. The mass trapping technology developed with the above optimized parameters was tested in a field trial. The results show that two compounds, (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-octadecatriene and (Z,Z)-3,9-cis-6,7-epoxy-octadecadiene, at a ratio of 30:70 and impregnated into rubber septa at 1 mg, were the most attractive to male moths. These compounds provided the best performance when combined with a sticky wing trap. Adult male moth monitoring data showed that there was a lower population density in the trapping plot compared with the control plot, and there was a clear difference during the peak adult occurrence of the first five insect generations in 2017. The effect of mass trapping on the larva population was investigated in 2018; the control efficiency reached 49.27% after trapping of one generation of adults and was further reduced to 67.16% after two successive adult moth generations, compared with the control plot. The results of the present study provide a scientific basis for the establishment of sex pheromone-based integrated pest management strategies.

In this study, field and laboratory experiments were carried out in order to develop a biological control strategy against mustard aphid by using extracts of five tobacco varieties (Beeri wala, Balkhi, Pattay wala, Desi Tobacco and Hazropattar). Two extraction methods were used: extraction through boiling of leaves (ETBL) and extraction through overnight water soaking of leaves (ETOWSL). Mustard variety (Early Mustard) was cultivated with eleven treatments of three replicates each. Laboratory experiments were conducted to confirm the mortality due to the extract of tobacco varieties and the efficient type of extraction. All treatments were found to be effective in field against mustard aphid. Extracts of Pattay wala, Balkhi and Desi tobacco obtained through ETBL remained effective up to a week, whereas the extracts of Hazropattar, Balkhi, Pattay wala and Desi tobacco obtained through ETOWSL were found to be effective up to two weeks after treatment. The highest reduction in aphid population was noted by Pattay wala tobacco and the lowest reduction was seen by Desi tobacco. Almost the same trend of effectiveness was recorded during 2nd spray. In laboratory conditions 100% mortality of aphids was observed within three days under all treatments. The results of this study could be useful in an integrated pest management program for the management of mustard aphid Lipaphis erysimi.

The tea tortrix Archips strojny is a major pest of spring tea in China. Using sex pheromone-based mass trapping or mating disruption techniques to control this pest can minimize excessive pesticide usage, thereby maintaining pesticide residues within the safety standard for spring tea products. However, the sex pheromone components of this species remain elusive. In this study, we identified these components: laboratory assays showed that two bioactive compounds in female sex pheromone gland extracts, namely, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH), could elicit male moth antennal responses. A field trapping assay demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the attractant in the sex pheromone, while Z11-14:OH seemed to be an antagonist. Overall, our results indicated that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool for A. strojny management in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was found to be a common attractant in the sex pheromones of nine leafroller species in the genus Archips. Thus, Z11-14:Ac may be used to develop a mating disruption technique targeting multiple leafroller species. Pesticide application is the only known control method for the tea tortrix Archips strojny (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which is a major pest of spring tea in China. To develop sex pheromone-based, environmentally safe control strategies, here we identified the sex pheromone components of this species. The male moths’ antennae responded electrophysiologically to two compounds in female pheromone gland extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the two bioactive compounds were (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH). Field trapping assays showed that lures baited with only the major component Z11-14:Ac were the most attractive to male moths, and the attractiveness decreased significantly when the lure was impregnated with increased relative ratios of the minor component Z11-14:OH. Our study demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the major attractant in the A. strojny sex pheromone, and the minor component Z11-14:OH seemed to serve as an antagonist. The results indicate that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool for A. strojny management in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was identified as a common sex pheromone attractant of nine Archips species; these results lay the foundation for developing mating disruption techniques that target multiple leafroller pests.