Impacts of an oviposition deterrent pheromone and nanoparticle clay on Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) behavior under laboratory conditions.

Anthonomus eugenii Cano, the pepper weevil, is a devastating pest of peppers (Capsicum spp.). A. eugenii is a pest in both field and greenhouse pepper production across North America, with field production generally impacted in Central America, Mexico, the southern United States, and Hawaii, and greenhouse production being impacted in the northern United States and Canada. The life cycle of A. eugenii primarily occurs inside a pepper fruit, protecting these stages from contact-based insecticidal sprays. Only the adult stage is susceptible to chemical management strategies. However, these strategies are expensive to growers and have negative impacts on agroecosystems, presenting a critical need for new management strategies such as initial oviposition deterrence. Female A. eugenii produce an oviposition-deterrent pheromone (ODP) after egg-laying, indicating to other females the pepper has been occupied. This study evaluated the initial oviposition deterrence of kaolin clay in combination with dye and a previously characterized A. eugenii ODP. Results indicated that peppers treated with kaolin clay alone deterred oviposition, but a concentration of 10% ODP + kaolin clay further reduced oviposition events. When peppers were treated with red-dyed kaolin clay, the rate of oviposition was also decreased as compared to kaolin clay alone. Further investigations of dyed and ODP-infused kaolin clay should be conducted under greenhouse and field conditions to evaluate their effectiveness against initial oviposition in traditional agricultural settings.