Environmental Entomology (2019) 48, 1049-1055

L. Grant Bolton, Jaime C. Piñero and Bruce A. Barrett (2019)
Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) towards the leaf volatile β-cyclocitral and selected fruit-ripening volatiles
Environmental Entomology 48 (5), 1049-1055
Abstract: The spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is attracted to numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from several ripening, small fruit crops. However, the strawberry leaf terpenoid, β-cyclocitral, is reportedly very attractive to D. suzukii (but not to all Drosophila spp.). This suggests that leaf and fruit VOCs may be critical sources needed to further develop a more species-specific D. suzukii monitoring lure, or semiochemically based attract-and-kill systems. This study investigated the electrophysiological responses of male and female D. suzukii towards selected host fruit-ripening VOCs and β-cyclocitral, along with behavioral responses toward combined fruit VOCs with β-cyclocitral. Electroantennogram (EAG) results revealed a positive dose–response, for both sexes, as concentrations increased for all VOCs tested. For β-cyclocitral, hexyl acetate and methyl butyrate, the mean male EAG responses were significantly greater than the female responses at lower doses. In caged behavioral bioassays, only in the β-cyclocitral treatments were the mean number of flies captured (sexes combined) significantly greater than that captured in solvent (mineral oil) controls. Our study has demonstrated that while single fruit-based VOCs alone are not enough to cause a strong behavioral attraction by both male and female D. suzukii, the addition of β-cyclocitral did produce a significant attraction response from both sexes. In both bioassays, males had higher responses to β-cyclocitral than females, which suggest a greater sensitivity to this compound. Further studies are needed to ascertain the role β-cyclocitral may play in the development of a more species-specific D. suzukii monitoring lure.
(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): Jaime C. Pinero, 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.
	Drosophila suzukii	Strawberry (Fragaria)