Integrated pest management strategies for control of the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in two oases in the south of Tunisia

Carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a cosmopolitan pest that affects many fruit crops under field and storage conditions. In Tunisia, carob moth is regarded as the main phytosanitary problem of pomegranate and date palm. Insecticides are often not a viable option to manage this pest due to the larval stage living inside the plant. This study evaluated the efficacy of an Integrated Pest Management approaches (IPM) including sanitation, mass trapping, inundative releases of Trichogramma cacoeciae and date bunch bagging for the control of carob moth on pomegranate and date palm in two oases located in southern Tunisia. Trials were conducted during 2017 and 2018. The findings revealed that an IPM approach to reduce carob moth infestation was quite promising. In both experimental years, fruit damage ranged below 4% on pomegranate and 3% on date palm; furthermore fruit yield was significantly increased on trees where an IPM approach had been applied. Ectomyelois ceratoniae egg parasitism reached a maximum of 47.31% (2017) and 52.45% (2018) in pomegranate fruits treated with T. cacoeciae. The carob moth population was significantly reduced by 82.68% (2017) and 92.29% (2018) in IPM plots in comparison to control plots. Therefore, the IPM approach proved to be an effective option for achieving sustainable management of carob moth on pomegranate and date palm in oases.