abstract : the aim of this study was to evaluate the control of tecia solanivora (lepidoptera: gelechiidae) through mating disruption for its possible feasibility in potato crops. in a wind tunnel, an unbalanced blend of the pheromone consisting of e3-12ac, z3-12ac and 12ac in the proportion 100:50:100, respectively (70 mg per dispenser), produced a total inhibition of male attraction to the pheromone released by females, as compared to females releasing the pheromone (69% attraction). in the field, this blend at 10 hg/trap significantly inhibited capture with two males/trap, whereas control traps containing e3-12ac y z3-12ac (100:1 respectively) captured 50 males/trap. in 3 ha treated with the unbalanced blend in dispensers placed at the base of potato plants at a density of 1,227 dispensers/ha (equivalent to 86 g of pheromone/ ha), male attraction was significantly reduced to monitoring traps by 94%, by 89% to traps with females, and mating of confined pairs was reduced by 67%, in comparison with a control area (1 ha untreated). these results indicate the potential of this technique for reducing populations of the pest.
