Egypt. J. Plant Prot. Res. Inst. (2020), 3 (4): 992-1003 Egyptian Journal of Plant Protection Research Institute www.ejppri.eg.net Seasonal activity of jasmine moth Palpita unionalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in response to true spiders and temperature degrees in olive orchard Mohamed, E. Mostafa1; Ibrahim, E. Shehata2; Salma, Kh. Ragab1 and Nabil, M. Ghanim1 1 Plant Protection Research Institute. Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. 2Pests and Plant Protection Department, National Research Centre, El-Behoos St., Dokki, Egypt. ARTICLE INFO Abstract: Article History Received: 13 / 10 /2020 The jasmine moth Palpita unionalis (Hübner) Accepted: 21 / 12 /2020 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is one of the serious pests infesting olive trees. The present study aimed to study some ecological aspects of P. unionalis and true spiders in olive orchard at Dakahlia Keywords Governorate during two successive years (from the 25th of th Ecological aspects, January 2018 till the 16 of January 2020). The obtained results jasmine moth, Palpita indicated that larval population of P. unionalis exhibiting four unionalis, true spiders, and five peaks of abundance during the first and second year and olive orchard and the highest activity was recorded during autumn and spring of the Dakahlia Governorate. first and second year. With respect to true spiders, it exhibited six and five peaks of abundance during the first and second year and the highest activity was recorded during spring of the two studied years. On contrary, the lowest activity of P. unionalis and true spiders was recorded during winter of the first year and summer of the second year. Statistical analysis indicated that P. unionalis population exhibited positively responses to the true spider population during the first (r = 0.092ns) and second (r = 0.601*) year. Both of P. unionalis and true spiders exhibited insignificant responses maximum, minimum and average temperature during the two studied years. Introduction applications pose the risk of Olive (Olea europaea L.) environmental pollution and growing is of great economic and socio- contamination of the olive products cultural significance for the (Jardak and Ksantini, 1996; Calbras et Mediterranean region, where 98% of al., 1997; Cirio 1997 and Moustafa et the world’s olive production is located al., 2009). The jasmine moth Palpita (Civantos, 2001). The olive tree is unionalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: attacked by various insect pests, which Pyralidae) is an international can cause considerable yield losses, and lepidopteran pest originating in the current olive cultivation involves Mediterranean Basin (Hegazi et al., regular use of plant protection products. 2012 and Ghoneim, 2015). It is a highly However, frequent insecticide mobile moth and is known to disperse 992 Mostafa et al. , 2020 even to Northern Europe (Tremewan, populations such as Trichogramma spp. 2002). It attracted a considerable (Hegazi et al., 2007a) and pheromone attention of some researchers during the traps (Anthanassiou et al., 2004 and last few decades because of its serious Hegazi et al., 2007b). Spiders are attack against young olive trees in important predators of the olive moth nurseries. Where, it is feeding damage Prays oleae (Bernard, 1788) by larvae can reach up to 90% of the (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) and leaf area, thereby seriously affecting the may reduce its population by 80%, development of the plant shoots. During being Philodromus spp., Salticus spp. the fruit ripening season, high larvae and Iciushamatus the most common. infestations may also reduce the fruit They feed on eggs and larvae and in yield by 30% (Solaiman, 1997; Lopez- some cases have reduced the pest Villalta, 1999; Hegazi et al., 2007 a, b population by 60 to 80% in olive groves and 2012 and Ghoneim, 2015). In years in Spain (Morris et al., 1999 and of high population densities, larvae Ghavami, 2006). The occurrence of attack also olive fruits, making them spiders in olive groves can be an unsuitable for marketing (Antonelli and important contribution to reducing Rossi , 2004 and Mazomenos et al., natural populations of phytophagous 2002). This pest is one of the serious arthropods due to their exclusively olive pests in Egypt and several predator diet (Rei et al., 2011). countries (Vassilaina-Alexopoulou and Efficient control of economic Santorini, 1973; Tremewan, 2002 and insect pests requires detailed Hamadah and Abo Elsoud, 2018). investigations of its ecology as well as Spiders represent an abundant the recorded natural enemies. Some group of predators within the certain are essential for the control of agroecosystems, and in olive groves of insect pests such as population Europe spiders are important predators dynamics and peaks times of the pest and may significantly reduce the attack and its associated natural enemies of pests. Spiders comprise a large (Öztürk and Ulusoy, 2012 and Abdel fraction of predator species in Kareim et al., 2018). According to agroecosystems, where insects Witzgall et al. (2010), the first step in (especially flies and moths) are the managing any pest species begins with main preys. These arachnids are more a proper monitoring program. sensitive to pesticide application than Therefore, the present study deals with their prey, and therefore are good some ecological aspects of jasmine bioindicators of the risk of an outbreak moth P. unionalis and true spiders in of pests in olive groves (Loverre and olive orchard at Dakahlia Governorate. Addante, 2011). The intensive use of Material and methods many conventional insecticides led to An area of two feddans (One several dramatic problems, such as feddan = 4200 m2) cultivated with olive destruction of the natural enemies, trees was selected for the present study environmental hazards and serious at Mansoura district, Dakahlia toxicological problems to humans, as governorate. The present study lasted well as the development of insect two successive years, starting from the resistance toward different insecticides 25th of January 2018 till the 16th of (Davies et al., 2007; Costa et al., 2008; January 2020. Five trees (Homogenous Mosallanejad and Smagghe, 2009 and in size and age) were selected randomly Sharifian et al., 2012). There are several from all the area. Every week, five attempts to use different bio control newly branches (Each branch was about tactics to control P. unionalis 20 cm) of each tree were cut from the 993 Egypt. J. Plant Prot. Res. Inst. (2020), 3 (4): 992-1003 cardinal direction (North, south, east as true spiders were correlated with and west) and center of the tree (On each temperature degree and the simple branch per direction). Then, branched & multi regressions in addition to were put in paper bags, well tied and explained variance were analyzed by transported to laboratory for using the computer program of CoHort investigation. On each branch, numbers Software (2004). of P. unionalis larvae and true spiders Results and discussion were counted and recorded. Among the As shown as in Figure (1), larval available meteorological data of population of P. unionalis occurred in Dakahlia region, daily averaged olive trees during the period from 17th temperature degrees (Maximum, of May till 29th of November 2018 minimum and average) were obtained during the first year. The pest from the Central Laboratory for population was recorded four peaks. Agricultural Climate, Agricultural These peaks were recorded on the 17th Research Center, during the period of May (4 individuals / sample), 23th of from the 25th of January 2018 till the August (6 individuals / sample), 13th of 16th of January 2020. The daily records September (5 individuals / sample) and of each temperature degree were 11th of October (16 individuals / grouped into weekly means according sample). to the sampling dates. The mean weekly numbers of P. unionalis larvae as well 20 P. unionalis True spider 15 twigs 25 10 5 0 No. of ndividuals / ndividualsNo. of Sampling date Figure (1): Seasonal abundance of Palpita unionalis and true spiders population on olive trees in Dakahlia Governorate during 2018/19. With respect to true spiders, it May 2019; while, the second period was recorded all over the first year was recorded from the 12th of (Figure 1). True spiders exhibited six September till the 26th of December peaks of abundance recorded as 18, 9, 2019 (Figure 2). P. unionalis exhibited 13, 13, 11, 6 and 16 individuals / sample five peaks during the second year. (On 25th January, 8th of March, 5th of These peaks were recorded during 11th April, 17th of May, 5th of July, 4th of of April (15 individuals / sample), 2nd of October and 8th of November 2018, May (10 individuals / sample), 19th of respectively). During the second year, September (6 individuals / sample), 10th P. unionalis showed two periods of of October (6 individuals / sample) and activity. The first period was recorded 19th of December 2019 (6 individuals / from the 21st of March till the 23rd of sample). 994 Mostafa et al. , 2020 16 P. unionalis True spider 12 twigs 25 8 4 0 No. of ndividuals / ndividualsNo. of Sampling date Figure (2): Seasonal abundance of Palpita unionalis and true spiders population on olive trees in Dakahlia Governorate during 2019/20. As shown as in Figure (2), true January and February. On the contrary, spiders exhibited five peaks of activity this pest showed its highest population during the second year. These peaks during October of the first year (with a were recorded as 13, 4, 8, 8 and 6 mean of 14 individuals / sample) and individuals / sample on the 4th of April, during April of the second year (with a 9th of May, 12th of September, 14th of mean of 7 individuals / sample). During November and 19th of December, all of the rest months, the pest respectively. Data illustrated in Figure population showed moderate numbers (3) indicated that P. unionalis was and varied from year to other. recorded with no numbers during 15 P. unionalis True spider 2018/19 12 / sample / 9 6 3 Mean number Mean 0 15 2019/20 12 9 / sample / 6 3 0 Mean number Meannumber Feb.