Determination of the activity time of Haloxylon seed feeder moth, Proceratia caesariella Rog. (Lep.: pyralidae), and the effect of Dimilin in reducing its damage in Boin Zahra

Haloxylon has an important role in the stability of natural ecosystems in arid regions in which excessive destruction of this species will cause instability. Haloxylon seed feeder moth, Proceratia caesariella Rog., is it's most important pest and causes heavy damage on it, annually. This study was conducted as a case study in Boin Zahra area. The time of emergence of pest moths and its population fluctuation was determined by light traps. A concentration of 2 kg Dimilin per 1000 liters of water was sprayed on Haloxylon in a 0.5 hectare plot, 3 times. To assess the effect of pesticide, sampling was done by taking 350 seeds from selected Haloxylon shrubs, randomly. The results showed that the first moth was trapped on September 8. Pest population peak was observed on October 8 and total of pest's activity period was 40 days. The results also showed that Haloxylon damaged seeds percent in sprayed and unsprayed plots were 24.85 and 92% respectively, which represents the desirable effect of Dimilin to control the pest larvae.