Premium
Female sex pheromone of Sesamia cretica : chemical and behavioural evidence for a three‐component blend
Author(s) -
Germinara Giacinto S.,
Elgargoti Abubaker,
De Cristofaro Antonio,
Rotundo Giuseppe
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/j.1570-7458.2007.00567.x
Subject(s) - lepidoptera genitalia , noctuidae , pheromone , sex pheromone , electroantennography , pest analysis , biology , botany , attraction , tortricidae , horticulture , stereochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , linguistics
The female‐produced sex pheromone of the Durra stem borer, Sesamia cretica (Lederer) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), had been previously characterized as a 75:25 blend of ( Z )‐9‐tetradecenol ( Z 9‐14:OH) and ( Z )‐9‐tetradecenyl acetate ( Z 9‐14:OAc) based on field trapping experiments. The low attraction of this blend in the field led us to further investigate the sex pheromone of this pest. Coupled gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection (GC‐EAD) analysis of female pheromone gland extracts consistently revealed three EAD‐active compounds. According to their GC retention times, mass spectra, and comparative EAG analyses with authentic standards, two of these compounds were found to be the previously reported components Z 9‐14:OH and Z 9‐14:OAc, whereas a third compound was identified as ( Z )‐11‐hexadecenol ( Z 11‐16:OH). In wind tunnel experiments, the highest male responses were elicited by ratios of Z 9‐14:OH, Z 9‐14:OAc, and Z 11‐16:OH, ranging from 90:1:9 to 90:5:5. In field tests, the 90:1:9 ratio of the blend loaded onto rubber septum dispensers was significantly more effective than single‐component, two‐component, and any other ratio of the three‐component blend. The greater effectiveness of this blend resulted in a more accurate detection of S. cretica flight activity compared with the previously reported two‐component blend.