Tracking the sex pheromone of codling moth against a background of host volatiles with an electronic nose

Mating disruption is now widely used in apple growing regions where control of codling moth is difficult due to insecticide resistance. This strategy comprises the slow release of pheromone from controlled delivery dispensers placed on the crop field with the aim to attract and/or confuse males impeding mating. The success of the technique strongly depends on maintaining an adequate pheromone concentration in the air within the crop. At present, monitoring of the sexual confusion efficiency is done by hand using lures and traps and carrying out a weekly evaluation of the trapped insects, which involves human resources and consumes considerable time and effort.This article describes the use of an electronic nose capable of detecting and discriminating low amounts of codling moth pheromone (codlemone) immersed in a background odour of plants and fruit volatiles. Laboratory results obtained indicate the feasibility of using a trained electronic nose for tracking in real-time aerial concentration levels of codlemone against a background of common apple host volatiles. Continuous field monitoring can potentially be achieved by combining the electronic nose with automated robotic navigation and remote transference of data.