E. F. Legner

Chemical Control of the Eye-Spotted Bud Moth on Sour Cherry in Wisconsin

Chemical control studies of the eye-spotted bud moth, Spilonota ocellana (Denis & Schiffermuuller), on sour cherry in Wisconsin from 1960 through 1961 showed that delayed dormant and post-harvest sprays of Sevin® (1-naphthyl N -methylcarbamate), parathion, malathion, Guthion® ( O,O -dimethyl S-(4-oxo-1,2,3-benzotriazin-3-(4 H )-ylmethyl) phosphorodithioate), diazinon, and phosphamidon gave good control of spring and summer larvae. Dormant sprays of dinitro materials did not give economic control of high populations. Timing and dosage were important factors in preventing larval feeding injury with the former being the more critical. A spray at the green-tip stage (when terminal leaf buds showed between ⅛- and ¼-inch green tip) was most effective for preventing fruit bud and pistil injury. A delay of 1 week meant the loss of 15 to 34% of the pistils, and 24 to 56% when delayed 2 weeks. Pistil destruction was kept below 1% by the most effective insecticides compared with 50 and 85% in the check blocks. Post-harvest sprays applied the latter part of August effectively reduced the over-wintering larval population to a level where a pre-blossom spray the following year would not be necessary. Higher dosage rates of Sevin were required to give control comparable to that obtained by lower dosages of the organophosphate materials.