Testing Spirotetramat as an Alternative Solution to Abamectin for Cacopsylla pyri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) Control: Laboratory and Field Tests

ABSTRACT Aim of the study was to investigate the performance of the new insecticide “ spirotetramat” as an alternative solution of “ abamectin” for the control of Cacopsylla pyriL. ( Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in the context of an IPM program in European pear, Pyrus communisL.. Laboratory bioassays for the estimation of LC50 and LC90 of both insecticides were performed using four populations collected in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) orchards where different pest management strategies were used (organic, integrated, and conventional). The same populations were also analyzed for the main insecticide detoxifying activities in nymphs by spectrofluorimetric in vitro assays. The performance of the two insecticides was also tested on field on one population under integrated pest managementconditions. The laboratory experiments showed that the LC90 of spirotetramatwere lower than the highest field concentration allowed in Europe (172.80 mg AI liter-1) giving reassurance about the efficacy of the product. Concerning the aba...