Environmental Entomology (2012) 41, 933-940

Ian W. Keesey, Bruce A. Barrett, Chung-Ho Lin and Robert N. Lerch (2012)
Electroantennographic responses of the small chestnut weevil Curculio sayi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to volatile organic compounds identified from chestnut reproductive plant tissue
Environmental Entomology 41 (4), 933-940
Abstract: The primary insect pest of the developing chestnut industry in the central United States is the small chestnut weevil, Curculio sayi (Gyllenhal), which is a specialist on only Castanea trees. Recent research has shown this insect is attracted to and feeds upon the reproductive tissues of the chestnut tree, including the flowers, burs, and nuts. In this study, the major volatile components emanating from the chestnut's reproductive tissues were sampled using solid phase microextraction and static headspace analysis. In total, 59 compounds from these tissues were separated and identified using GC-MS and authenticated reference standards. The majority of compounds identified from the bur and nut tissues were esters (60.2 and 67.4%, respectively). The majority of compounds identified from catkins were alcohols and benzenoids (53.2 and 19.8%, respectively). A subset of those compounds identified from the chestnut plant tissues was used in electroantennogram testing to determine the insect's electrophysiological response to host-generated volatiles. This study identifies the major components of the volatile profile from several important chestnut plant tissues, and was the first to report the volatile compounds from bur tissue. The identification of the major volatiles emanating from chestnut tissue, as well as the associated insect response, are both critical to the successful utilization of these host-plant volatiles as attractants in the development of a semiochemical-based monitoring trap for C. sayi adults.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Bruce A. Barrett

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Curculio sayi	Chestnut (Castanea)	U.S.A. (mid N)