Narges Kiani Ravesh - Department of Medical Entomology, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Ali Jafari Nadoshan

Background: Punica granatum (punicaceae) is native of Iran and one of the most important horticultural crops. Our country is the largest producer and exporter of pomegranate in the world.There is aspect to expand the area under cultivation,increase yield in per hectare and increae exportes.Thus,considering the importance of this crop should be struggled to the reducing factors efficiently and accurately.Objectives: The most important factor reducing the quality and quantity of this crop in Iran is a key pest of pomegranate fruit moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zell (Lep: pyrallidea).This pest has been considerable damaged every year.Overwintering of this pest is different instars larvae which essentially live with in infected fruit of hosts.There are also different views that this pest overwinters,such as soil or under the bark of trees.The goal of monitoring is other possiblity locations of overwintering moth,in addition to the remaining fruit on the tree and dumped under trees.Materials and Methods: For this purpose we checked out under pelt of the trees and soil of 4 locations in the garden to a depth of 15 centymeters.In addition, the number of infected pomegranate 1200 in 4 replicates on the earth with a depth of 15 centymeters was placed from November month. Sampling was evaluated with 20 pomegranates of each replicate once every month.At the end the whole infected pomegranates were visited and assessed the number and composition of the larvae in them.Results: Results showed that there is no larvae at the depth of 15 centimeters soil under rotten pomegranates and gathered larvae under pelt of the trees belongs to Euzopheroides sp. Which is borer and no larvae or other life stages of Ectomyelois ceratoniae was found.Conclusion: So the hypothesis is rejected

Ectomyelois ceratoniae -overwintering place-pomegranate