David Madge Research Scientist, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria

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1 David Madge Research Scientist, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria David obtained a Bachelor Degree in Agricultural Science from Adelaide University in 1981 with a focus on entomology and horticulture. He subsequently joined the Victorian Department of Primary Industries at Mildura, initially researching alternative tree crops then moving to crop protection. Since the late 1980s David has been involved in field research and extension in integrated pest management for grapes and citrus, and extension for the organic industry. He has managed a national citrus IPM research project, run producer workshops on pest identification and management, provided pest diagnostics for table grape export inspections, and managed a seasonal pest and disease advisory service for the Sunraysia citrus and grape industries. David is currently investigating carob moth in a new project for the almond industry.

2 Abstract Carob Moth - Eating Your Profits? Carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae) is an emerging pest that has in recent years caused increasing concern for the Australian almond industry. It is related to California s worst almond pest, the navel orange worm, and exhibits very similar biology and behaviour. The larval stage of carob moth feeds on almond kernels, making them unsuitable for sale as whole kernels for human consumption, and possibly increasing their risk of fungal infection. Although carob moth was recorded in Australian almonds in the 1960s, it seems to have become a serious pest only recently, possibly due to the combination of rapid industry growth (a doubling of bearing hectares from 2008 to 2011) and wet seasons in 2009/10 and 2010/11 that led to higher numbers of nut mummies remaining on trees. Carob moth uses mummified nuts as a food and breeding resource. During the 2011/12 season, a small part of the project Food safety in almonds Stage 2 involved monitoring carob moth to begin developing local knowledge on its distribution and seasonal behaviour. Pheromone traps were installed in almond orchards between Adelaide and Griffith, and were kindly maintained and inspected by local orchard managers. Carob moth populations were variable, ranging from very low to very high within the same district. The first generation of moths began to emerge in late September and extended through to late November. A second generation emerged from mid December to late January, with peak numbers occurring around the time of hull-split. This is a high risk period, as hull-split marks the point at which carob moth can start to infest the new crop. There was some evidence of third and fourth generation moth emergence from February to April, but the pattern of emergence became erratic, possibly due to pesticide applications and dropping temperatures. New crop and mummified nuts from one infested orchard were assessed regularly for the presence of carob moth. Mummified nuts on trees were used intensively by the pest, with up to 66% infested and 46% carrying fresh carob moth eggs at any one time. Some mummified nuts housed up to six carob moth individuals at a time an indication of the importance of those nuts in supporting significant populations of the pest. At harvest time, only 6% of new crop nuts carried carob moth eggs compared to 16% of mummified nuts, suggesting that the latter are still preferred even after hull-split in the new crop. Around 2% of new crop kernels showed chewing damage at harvest. As part of this work, a new project was proposed to further our knowledge of carob moth as an almond pest and research potential management options. The project will investigate mating disruption and mummy removal as management techniques for carob moth. It will also determine the optimal timing for pesticide applications around hull-split and continue to develop knowledge on monitoring strategies and the pest s seasonal behaviour.

3 Carob moth Eating your profits? David Madge DPI Victoria, Mildura

4 Carob moth Brief overview of the pest Our activity during 2011/ /12 monitoring results Potential management options Current research project

5 Carob moth: overview Ectomyelois ceratoniae Family Pyralidae (also NOW & IMM) Mediterranean origin

6 Carob moth: overview Global pest of economic crops Carob, dates, citrus, stone fruit, pome fruit, pistachio, pomegranate, macadamia No.1 pest of dates in California Recorded in Australian almonds in 1960s A more serious concern during recent wet years May become the NOW of Australia

7 Carob moth: overview Why is it a concern? Loss in crop value - kernel damage Added cost of applied management Potential impacts of applied management

8 Carob moth: lifecycle Only on mummies until hull split in new crop 12mm Up to 20mm

9 Carob moth: lifecycle days 6-10

10 Carob moth: activity in 2011/12 Moth trapping (8 sites) Nut assessments New project development

11 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/12 Infestation of mummies with live carob moth winter 2011: 0-47% winter 2012: 0-20% 20% = one million new eggs in a 10ha block

12 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/12 Infestation of single mummies Eggs, larvae & pupae Up to 6 old pupae

13 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/ /09/2011 8/09/ /09/ /09/ /09/2011 6/10/ /10/ /10/ /10/2011 3/11/ /11/ /11/ /11/2011 1/12/2011 8/12/ /12/ /12/ /12/2011 5/01/ /01/ /01/ /01/2012 2/02/2012 9/02/ /02/ /02/2012 1/03/2012 8/03/ /03/ /03/ /03/2012 5/04/ /04/ /04/ /04/2012 3/05/ /05/ /05/ /05/ /05/2012 7/06/ /06/ /06/ /06/2012 Average moths/trap

14 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/ /09/2011 8/09/ /09/ /09/ /09/2011 6/10/ /10/ /10/ /10/2011 3/11/ /11/ /11/ /11/2011 1/12/2011 8/12/ /12/ /12/ /12/2011 5/01/ /01/ /01/ /01/2012 2/02/2012 9/02/ /02/ /02/2012 1/03/2012 8/03/ /03/ /03/ /03/2012 5/04/ /04/ /04/ /04/2012 3/05/ /05/ /05/ /05/ /05/2012 7/06/ /06/ /06/ /06/2012 Average moths/trap

15 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/ /09/2011 8/09/ /09/ /09/ /09/2011 6/10/ /10/ /10/ /10/2011 3/11/ /11/ /11/ /11/2011 1/12/2011 8/12/ /12/ /12/ /12/2011 5/01/ /01/ /01/ /01/2012 2/02/2012 9/02/ /02/ /02/2012 1/03/2012 8/03/ /03/ /03/ /03/2012 5/04/ /04/ /04/ /04/2012 3/05/ /05/ /05/ /05/ /05/2012 7/06/ /06/ /06/ /06/2012 Average moths/trap Hull split Harvest

16 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/12 80 Eggs laid on mummies on trees Eggs laid on new crop nuts Larvae & pupae in mummies on trees 0 1/09/2011 8/09/ /09/ /09/ /09/2011 6/10/ /10/ /10/ /10/2011 3/11/ /11/ /11/ /11/2011 1/12/2011 8/12/ /12/ /12/ /12/2011 5/01/ /01/ /01/ /01/2012 2/02/2012 9/02/ /02/ /02/2012 1/03/2012 8/03/ /03/ /03/ /03/2012 5/04/ /04/ /04/ /04/2012 3/05/ /05/ /05/ /05/ /05/2012 7/06/ /06/ /06/ /06/ Average moths/trap

17 Carob moth: seasonal activity 2011/ % of nuts Oct '11 early Nov '11 late Nov'11 Dec'11 Jan'12 early Feb'12 mid Feb'12 mid Mar'12 early May'12 Eggs on mummies Eggs on new crop Chewed new kernels

18 Carob moth biological control activity Egg and larval parasitoids are being collected Role of earwigs?

19 Carob moth management Potential management options Prevent/remove mummies two/tree for NOW management in almonds Mating disruption (MD) effective against carob moth in dates Pesticide timing? efficacy? Convert to harder closed-shell varieties long-term

20 Carob moth management - MD Sex pheromone mimic in putty Floods orchard with pheromone Disrupts location of by Rapid mechanical application a possibility No off-target impacts????

21 Carob moth management MD $$$? AUS almond vs US date Shorter (less needed?) Denser (less lost?) Cooler (last longer?)

22 Carob moth management Pesticide experience 2011/ sprays of Altacor around hull split 50% larval kill in mummies (difficult targets) Drop in moth counts in traps (expected at that time) Low level of kernel damage (compared to 2011), around 2% One unsprayed block had high levels of kernel damage, 14% Grower trial reduced kernel damage but at high cost Needs more work

23 Carob moth: current research DPI Victoria/ABA/HAL project, Mating disruption Mummy removal Timing for pesticides around hull-split Seasonal behaviour Monitoring strategies

24 Acknowledgements Horticulture Australia Limited This project has been funded by HAL using the Almond industry levy and matched funds from the Australian Government. DPI Victoria Almond Board of Australia Almond growers in W.A., S.A., VIC. & N.S.W. Ben Brown, Cathy Taylor, Bob Emmett & Chin Gouk (DPI) Thank you