Journal of Chemical Ecology (2008) 34, 523-529

Giacinto S. Germinara, Antonio De Cristofaro and Giuseppe Rotundo (2008)
Behavioral responses of adult Sitophilus granarius to individual cereal volatiles
Journal of Chemical Ecology 34 (4), 523-529
Abstract: The antennae of Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults detect a wide variety of compounds in the odor blend of various cereal grains (Germinara et al., Tec. Molit., 53:27-34, 2002). In the present study, we looked at the behavioral responses of the granary weevil to 20 of these individual volatiles (aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and aromatics) in a two-choice pitfall olfactometer, using the aggregation pheromone and propionic acid as the attractant and repellent controls, respectively. Five doses, ranging from 1 μg to 1 mg, of each compound were tested. At least one concentration of eight compounds attracted beetles but required doses 1,000- to 5,000-fold higher than the concentration of aggregation pheromone to elicit a response. Three compounds, while attractive at lower concentrations, acted as repellents at higher doses. Twelve compounds were repellent at concentrations similar to the quantity of propionic acid that significantly repelled beetles. The data show that granary weevil adults have the ability to respond behaviorally to a wide range of cereal volatiles and that responses may change as a function of concentration. The results suggest that host finding behavior of weevils will depend on the balance of positive and negative volatile stimuli from grain as the relative concentrations of volatiles may change during storage. An understanding of how the weevils respond to such changes could be useful for the development of effective integrated pest management strategies.
(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): Giacinto Salvatore Germinara, Antonio De Cristofaro, Giuseppe Rotundo

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
pheromones/attractants/traps

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sitophilus granarius