THE AIM OF THE PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL (IPC) IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CROPS, MORE SPECIFICALLY IN APPLE AND PEACH, IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE APPLICATION OF INSECTICIDES. IN SUBPROJECT 2 WE FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON A PLAGUE, ANNOYING GRAPHOLITA, WHOSE MAIN GUEST IS THE PEACH, BUT WHOSE IMPORTANCE AS A PEST IN MANZANO HAS BEEN INCREASING IN THE LAST 8 YEARS IN SPAIN, AS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. DESPITE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SEXUAL CONFUSION AGAINST G. ANNOYING, IN THE CURRENT CIP PROGRAMS IT IS RECOMMENDED TO BE USED REINFORCED, IF NECESSARY, BY INSECTICIDE APPLICATIONS. OUR PROJECT EXPLORES BASIC AND APPLIED ASPECTS OF THE TWO FUNDAMENTAL METHODS OF CONTROL OF G. ANNOYANCE, SEXUAL CONFUSION AND INSECTICIDES. WITH REGARD TO THE USE OF INSECTICIDES, THREE OBJECTIVES ARE PROPOSED. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO LEARN ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PEST IN ITS NEW GUEST (MANZANO) TO SET MODELS OF PREDICTION BASED ON DAY DEGREES IN APPLE VARIETIES AND LOCAL CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. THIS IS DONE BY MEASURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF POPULATIONS OF G. ANNOYING OBTAINED FROM FIELDS OF PEACH AND APPLE TREE, EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES IN THE LABORATORY, DETERMINING AMONG OTHER THINGS THE CONDITIONS THAT INDUCE DIAPAUSE, AND PLACED ON DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF APPLE IN THE FIELD. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE IS TO PERFECT MODELS OF ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION TO DEVELOP PREDICTIVE SPATIAL-TEMPORAL MAPS OF OCCURRENCE OF THE PEST, WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE PREVIOUS OBJECTIVE, WILL CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING THE USE OF INSECTICIDES. A THIRD OBJECTIVE RELATED TO THE USE OF INSECTICIDES IS TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF RESISTANCE TO INSECTICIDES IN THE FIELD, IN PEACH AND MANZANO, AND WHERE APPROPRIATE, THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM THAT SUSTAINS IT, SOMETHING THAT IS KNOWN AND WE HAVE STUDIED IN DEPTH FOR THE NEXT SPECIES CYDIA POMONELLA IN MANZANO, WHICH HAS GREATER SELECTIVE PRESSURE OF INSECTICIDES, BUT WHICH HAS NOT YET BEEN EXPLORED IN G. ANNOYANCE. FINALLY, IN RELATION TO SEXUAL CONFUSION, THE EXACT MECHANISMS OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THIS CONTROL METHOD ARE SURPRISINGLY LITTLE KNOWN. NEW STUDIES INDICATE THAT FEMALES COULD PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CONFUSION, GIVEN THEIR ABILITY TO SELF-DETECT PHEROMONE. IN THIS PROJECT WE PROPOSE TO EXPLORE THE CELLULAR MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PERCEPTION OF PHEROMONE IN FEMALES, AS WE HAVE ALREADY DONE IN MALES, AND THUS CONTRIBUTE TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUNCTIONING OF SEXUAL CONFUSION.
