Trap catch, pheromone testing

We have prepared the optical isomers of the former (49) and the geometric and optical isomers of the latter (48) and biological evaluations have demonstrated that one isomer of each component is significantly more active than the others (50). Thus the natural sex pheromone probably consists of a mixture of (3j3,6R)-XV and (3Z,6R)-XVI (Figure 5). Field tests have also shown that the compounds XV and XVI are independently attractive to males, and that there is no synergistic effect when XV and XVI are combined. In addition, the presence of the inactive stereoisomers does not inhibit the trap catch of males. Thus synthetic compound for use in monitoring traps in the field can be either XV or XVI and need not be stereochemically pure. 

On the basis of laboratory and field results, the soluble acrylic system was chosen for further field trials. The formulation (code //1692) was tested on 210 hectares, 13 separate fields in Arizona and California during the 1982 growing season. Each test field was compared to a standard field, treated either with a chemical regime or a commercial pheromone product, located in the immediate vicinity. The efficacy assessment was based on trap catch reduction and boll infestation control. The treatment rate was 6.9 liters of formulation per hectare. This represented a rate of 3.7 grams pheromone and 36.9 grams pyrethroid per hectare. Treatment intervals were approximately ten days apart and the applications... 

The second field test evaluated the attractiveness of doses of die racemic pheromone ranging from 10 to 1,000 pg. There were no differences in the attractiveness of any of the lures (one-way ANOVA F - 0.64 df == 4,25 P = 0.64), with mean trap catches over all treatments varying from ISS to 200 insects per trap. 

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