NON-CHEMICAL PEST MANAGEMENT TACTICS ARE CRITICAL FOR SUSTAINABLE FARMING. IN PEARS, HOWEVER, GROWERS RELY HEAVILY ON BROAD-SPECTRUM INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROLLING PEAR PSYLLA (CACOPSYLLA PYRICOLA) AND OTHER PESTS. PEAR PSYLLA IS A SAP-SUCKING PEST THAT SECRETES HONEYDEW, WHICH SERVES AS A MEDIUM FOR FUNGAL GROWTH; HIGH DENSITIES OF PSYLLA CAN ALSO LEAD TO "PSYLLA SHOCK", CAUSING LOW YIELDS. THE CURRENT INSECTICIDE-BASED CONTROL STRATEGY FOR PEAR PSYLLA IS UNSUSTAINABLE DUE TO EVOLUTION OF RESISTANCE AND WATER SHORTAGES, AND ALTERNATIVE TACTICS ARE A PRIORITY OF GROWERS. OUR PROJECT ADDRESSES THESE SHORTCOMINGS BY ASSESSING VIBRATIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR DISRUPTION OF PEAR PSYLLA MATING USING A NON-CHEMICAL METHOD. I WILL ASSESS THE USE OF MATING DISRUPTION AS A PEST MANAGEMENT TACTIC ACROSS A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH KEY PERIODS OF PSYLLA DEVELOPMENT. OUR PROJECT INVOLVES TWO COMPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES: (1) CONFIRM THAT VIBRATIONAL PLAYBACKS DISRUPT MATING BEHAVIOR OF PEAR PSYLLA; AND (2) DETERMINE HOW ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECT VIBRATIONAL MATING SIGNALS AND DISRUPTION. FIRST, IWILL USE PLAYBACK METHODS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY OF DISRUPTION SIGNALS AT VARYING TEMPERATURES. SECOND, I WILL CONDUCT PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS IN THE GREENHOUSE TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF USING ACOUSTICS TO DISRUPT MATING AT A SMALL SCALE. THIRD, I WILL CONDUCT DISRUPTION TRIALS UNDER COMMERCIAL ORCHARD CONDITIONS TO ASSESS IMPACTS ON PSYLLA POPULATIONS AT A LARGE SCALE. AS MANY INSECT SPECIES, INCLUDING ALL KNOWN PSYLLID SPECIES, USE VIBRATIONAL COMMUNICATION, THIS STUDY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWING FIELD OF BIOACOUSTICS AND ITS USE IN AGROECOSYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT WILL THUS CONTRIBUTE TO THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA OF PLANT HEALTH AND PROTECTION BY DEVELOPING VIBRATIONAL MATING DISRUPTION AS A LOW-COST PESTICIDE ALTERNATIVE FOR GROWERS.