Field Evaluation of Synthetic Components of the Sex Pheromone of the Tea Pest Helopeltis cinchonae Mann (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Simple SummaryHelopeltis cinchonaeis an economically important pest of tea plantations in Asia and has recently been reported in various provinces of China, expanding its population range. The bugs feed on growing shoots, sucking the sap and leaving the shoots susceptible to infection by fungi. No known control or monitoring tools have been developed forH. cinchonaeexcept for the excessive application of pesticides. The components of the sex pheromone produced by femaleH. cinchonaehave been identified and synthesized in previous work and have been shown to attract male bugs to traps. This is the first time that the components of the sex pheromone have been identified for a species ofHelopeltisbug. Here, we present the results of field trapping tests to optimize the blend of pheromone components, compare different types of traps, and determine the best position of the trap in order to maximize the catch of male bugs. Traps baited with the optimized lure were used to monitor populations of the bug and showed two distinct generations during the year. These results contribute to an environmentally-friendly approach to monitoring and managingH. cinchonaein the field.Helopeltis cinchonaeis an emerging pest of tea and causes severe damage to tea plantations in China. The female ofH. cinchonaehas 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 maleH. cinchonaeto traps in the field. This is the first time that components of the sex pheromone have been identified for a species ofHelopeltisbug, 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 maleH. cinchonaebugs 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 ofH. cinchonaewere 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 managingH. cinchonaein the field.