Search results for "olfactometer"
showing 10 items of 31 documents
Evaluation of Brassicaceae seedlings as trap plants for Bagrada hilaris Burmeister in Caper bush cultivations
2020
The caper bush, Capparis spinosa (Brassicales: Capparaceae), is intensively grown on Pantelleria Island (Trapani, Sicily, Sicilian channel) where it has been granted protected geographical indication (PGI) by the EU. On this island, Bagrada hilaris, a stink bug native of Asia and Africa, is the major pest of caper crops. Recent studies have shown the attraction of B. hilaris to volatiles of brassicaceous plants at the seedling stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate three cotyledon-stage seedlings of host plants, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower), Eruca sativa (rocket) and Brassica carinata (Abyssinian cabbage), as potential trap plants for B. hilaris. The relative pr…
Semiochemical exploitation of host-associated cues by seven Melittobia parasitoid species : Behavioral and phylogenetic implications
2018
Chemical compounds (infochemicals or semiochemicals) play an important role both in intra-specific and inter-specific communication. For example, chemical cues appear to play a key role in the host selection process adopted by insect parasitoids. In recent years significant advances have been made in order to understand the chemical ecology of insect parasitoids. However, little information is available about the evolution of semiochemical use in the host location process of insect parasitoids. Here we investigated the strategy adopted by seven closely related parasitoid species in the genus Melittobia when foraging for four different suitable hosts. By using an integrated approach that com…
An Egg Parasitoid Efficiently Exploits Cues From a Coevolved Host But Not Those From a Novel Host
2019
Egg parasitoids have evolved adaptations to exploit host-associated cues, especially oviposition-induced plant volatiles and odors of gravid females, when foraging for hosts. The entire host selection process is critical for successful parasitism and relevant in defining host specificity of parasitoids. We hypothesized that naïve egg parasitoid females reared on their coevolved host are able to exploit cues related to the coevolved host but not those from a novel host. We used the egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus, its coevolved host Halyomorpha halys, and the non-coevolved host Podisus maculiventris to evaluate this hypothesis. H. halys, a polyphagous pest native from Eastern Asia, has i…
Floral volatiles in a sapromyiophilous plant and their importance in attracting house fly pollinators
2015
Floral scent in sapromyiophilous plants often consists of complex blends with not only fetid (e.g., sulfides) but also sweet (e.g., terpenoids) volatile organic compounds and a recent study suggests that both groups of compounds are involved in pollinator attraction. However, little is known about the number and identity of compounds involved in pollinator attraction in these deceptive plants that mimic breeding sites of fly pollinators. In the present paper, we studied flower volatiles of sapromyiophilous Periploca laevigata and their capability to elicit biological responses in one of the pollinator species, Musca domestica. Floral volatiles were collected by dynamic headspace and analyse…
Odorants of Capsicum spp. Dried Fruits as Candidate Attractants for Lasioderma serricorne F. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)
2021
The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne F. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) is an important food storage pest affecting the tobacco industry and is increasingly impacting museums and herbaria. Monitoring methods make use of pheromone traps which can be implemented using chili fruit powder. The objective of this study was to assess the response of L. serricorne to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from different chili powders in order to identify the main semiochemicals involved in this attraction. Volatiles emitted by Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens, and C. chinense dried fruit powders were tested in an olfactometer and collected and analyzed using SPME and GC-MS. Results indicated that C. an…
Identification of volatile synomones, induced by Nezara viridula feeding and oviposition on bean spp., that attract the egg parasitoid Trissolcus bas…
2004
Bean plants ( Vicia faba L. and Phaseolus vulgaris L.) damaged by feeding activity of Nezara viridula (L.) ( Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), and onto which an egg mass had been laid, produced volatiles that attracted the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Extracts of volatiles of broad bean and French bean plants induced by adults of N. viridula as a result of their feeding activity, oviposition activity, and feeding and oviposition activity combined were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and tested in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays as attractants for T. basalis females. In extracts from undamaged leguminous plants, green-leaf volati…
Electrophysiological and behavioral studies in the evaluation of semiochemical attractants for Stegobium paniceum L. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)
2017
Stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), also named drugstore beetle, is one of the major pests for a wide variety of dry and durable stored products. Females of this species produce a sex pheromone, (2S,3R,1’R)-Stegobinone that attracts males and elicit precopulatory searching behaviour. However, (2S,3R,1’R)-Stegobinone has eight possible isomers which are produced during its chemical synthesis and one of them inhibiting the pheromone activity, the (2S,3R,1'S)-Stegobinone form. In addition, the high costs of synthesis of (2S,3R,1’R)-Stegobinone suggest that alternative volatile compounds (e.g. those from food or oviposition sources) might be considered as attractant for traps. In t…
Role of VOCs from Brassica oleracea in host location processes of Bagrada hilaris: electrophysiological and behavioral studies
2017
The Painted bug, Bagrada hilaris Burmeister is an herbivorous insect native of Asia and Africa, invasive in Southern Europe and North America where it causes major damage on various vegetable crops mainly belonging to Brassicaceae family. Young plants at cotyledon stage of B. oleracea are particularly attractant and susceptible to B. hilaris feeding activity. To elucidate the main volatile organic compounds (VOCs) involved in the attraction of B. hilaris individuals toward the host plant B. oleracea, laboratory experiments were carried out using vertical Y-shaped olfactometer and electroantennographic techniques (EAG). Both adults and late nymphal instars were used in these experiments. Olf…
Behavioral responses of the parasitoid Melittobia digitata to volatiles emitted by its natural and laboratory hosts
2010
Responses of macropterous females of the ectoparasitoid Melittobia digitata Dahms (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) to direct and indirect cues emitted by its natural hosts as well as laboratory hosts were investigated using a Y-tube olfactometer. To locate the nest ofmud dauber wasps, Trypoxylon politum Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), and one of their inquilines, Anthrax spec., parasitoids exploit volatiles from the freshly built nest mud and the empty cocoon constructed by the wasps, as well as their meconium. However, the parasitoids did not respond to odors emitted by older nest mud or by the host stages that are attacked (T. politum prepupae and Anthrax spec. larvae). Melittobia digitata was n…
Electrophysiological and behavioral studies to test attractants semiochemicals for Stegobium paniceum L. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)
2017
Stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae), the drugstore beetle, is one of the major pests for a wide variety of dry and durable stored agricultural products. Females of S. paniceum produce a sex pheromone, (2S,3R,1'R)-Stegobinone, that attracts males. Nevertheless, trapping experiments using the synthetic sex pheromone in many cases showed low levels of captures, perhaps because of isomerization of the pheromone compound in ambient conditions. To date, very few brands of commercially S. paniceum pheromone are available in the market. In this study, we evaluated in electrophysiological (EAG) and behavioral bioassays (two-choice olfactometer), the response of S. paniceum male and femal…