S14 - Session P4 - SIT and codling moths in French walnut orchards

Authors: Ghais Zriki *, Agnès Verhaeghe, Jean-Baptiste Philibert, Audrey Dempsey, Benjamin Gard, Clelia Oliva, Jean-Michel Ricard

The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) has been used to control codling moths in Canada Apple orchards since 1990. The SIT limits pest reproduction by introducing large amounts of sterile moths. The current project (2021-2023) aims to deploy the technique in French walnut orchards. Four axes are worked on: - Adapting the rearing and logistics to produce regular and competitive sterile moths. - Validating the method efficiency on walnut orchard (which implies much higher trees than apples') compared with other methods. - Measuring SIT's unintentional effects on soil fauna and chiropterans' presence. - Taking into account of societal expectations and producers' needs in order to promote this new practice. This study is deployed on four walnut orchards on the AOP "Noix de Grenoble" area. At the end of the project, the results should provide arguments to promote or not the integration of the SIT in walnut codling moth control.