Preliminary Research on the use of Pheromones on European Cherry Fruit Fly (Rhagoletis Cerasi L.)

The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (L.) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is one of the most destructive pest in cherry and sweet cherry orchards. Because of the low tolerance for damaged fruit on the market and the restrictions from E.U regarding insecticides, new envioramental safe methods begin to be developed. This paper prezents preliminary research in monitoring and control of Rhagoletis cerasi L. with 5 diffent formulations of specific pheromon (pheromon prodeced by ICC Raluca Ripan Cluj-Napoca) 4 of them, have not been tested yet. Adult flight was monitored twice a week on 22 yellow colored traps, 17 with certified pheromone and 27 with the 4 new synthesized formulations. Traps were placed in two orchards: one in which chemical treatments have been performed and another plantation where no chemical treatments were applied. In the orchard where they applied chemical treatments, the average catch on colored traps was 28.31 adults/trap and in baited pheromone traps the average fluctuated between 11 adults/ trap in V3 and 28,6 adults per trap in V2. In the untreated orchard, the average number of catches on colored panels was 23.33 and in the variants with pheromone baits, this parameter was between 8.5 adults/trap in V5 and 44 adults/trap in V2.Rhagoletis cerasi level of population differ from a plantation to another and that is not strictly related to applied technology culture. Yellow panels shows good functionality in capturing adults. Between the pheromone baited traps that are in the first stage of testing, higher number of captures than yellow panel variants, showed the variant V2.