Spatial Analysis of Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Male Population in a Mediterranean Agricultural Landscape in Central Italy

Abstract

A. Sciarretta1,2, A. Zinni3, A. Mazzocchetti3 and P. Trematerra11Department of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, I-86100 Campobasso, Italy.3Agenzia Regionale per i Servizi di Sviluppo Agricolo-Abruzzo, via Nazionale 38, I-65010 Villanova di Cepagatti, Pescara, Italy.↵2Corresponding author, e-mail: sciarretta{at}unimol.it.Received March 5, 2007.Accepted November 11, 2007.Abstract The results obtained from the spatial analysis of pheromone-baited trap catch data of Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schiffermüller) males are reported. The research was undertaken in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. In the study area, vineyards (of Vitis vinifera L.) are the predominant cultivation, surrounded by hedgerows and small woodlots, and interspersed with cereal crops and olive groves. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of L. botrana, inside and outside vineyards, and to evaluate the effect of the landscape elements on pest distribution. A trend orientation over the experimental area was observed along the direction from northwest to southeast. Correlograms fitted using a spherical model showed in all cases an aggregated distribution and an estimated range having a mean of 174 m in 2005 and 116 m in 2006. Contour maps highlighted that spatial distribution of L. botrana was not limited to vineyards, but its presence is high particularly inside olive groves. The adult distribution on the experimental area changed during the season: hot spots of flight I were positioned inside olive groves; during flights II and III, they were concentrated in vineyards. L. botrana males were also captured in uncultivated fields, but never in high densities. Our results showed that a large proportion of the adult population of L. botrana inhabits areas outside those usually targeted by pest management programs. Thus, in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems, it is highly recommended to consider the whole landscape, with particular attention to olive crops. geostatisticsvineyardolive groveLobesia botrana© 2008 Entomological Society of AmericaThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions{at}oup.com