ElectrophysiologicallyActive Maize Volatiles Attr

Authors: Béla Péter Molnár Zoltán Tóth Alexandra FejesTóth Teun Dekker Zsolt Kárpáti

Publish Date: 2015/10/21

Volume: 41, Issue: 11, Pages: 997-1005

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Abstract

The European corn borer ECB is an important pest of maize in the northern hemisphere but no reliable techniques exist for monitoring females during their reproductive period In this study we aimed to identify hostplant volatiles used by gravid Zstrain females in search for oviposition sites Headspace of maize plants to which gravid females orientated in a wind tunnel was collected and physiologicallyactive components were identified by using gas chromatography GC coupled with electroantennographic detection followed by GCmass spectrometry The antennae of female moths consistently responded to two maize volatiles nonanal and decanal Although these compounds are individually not characteristic for maize a synthetic mix in a ratio found in maize headspace 124 at 1 μg μl−1 induced source contact and landing responses similar to maize plants in the wind tunnel However fewer females took flight in response to the mix and those that took flight did so with an increased latency To our knowledge this is the first blend of hostplant volatiles that has been found to be physiologically active and to be able to induce attraction of gravid ECB females under laboratory conditions Future tests will evaluate the attractiveness of the blend to the Estrain of ECB the attractiveness of the blend in the field and its potential in monitoring ECB populationsWe thank Gábor Bozsik and Gábor Szőcs for providing initial insects and helping to maintain the laboratory population We also are grateful to Daniel Veit for designing the wind tunnel We thank Shannon B Olsson for constructive scientific discussions and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript This study was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund OTKA PD1041310 the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant PCIG12GA2012333980 and the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to ZK During the study ZT was supported by the ‘Lendület’ programme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences MTA LP201224/2012 a Hungarian Scientific Research Fund grant OTKA PD108938 and the MTA postdoctoral research program SZ029/2013

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