Journal of Chemical Ecology (2012) 38, 408-417

Stephen L. Lapointe, Rocco T. Alessandro, Paul S. Robbins, Ashot Khrimian, Ales Svatos, Joseph C. Dickens, Fernando Otálora-Luna, Fatma Kaplan, Hans T. Alborn and Peter E. Teal (2012)
Identification and synthesis of a male-produced pheromone for the neotropical root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus
Journal of Chemical Ecology 38 (4), 408-417
Abstract: An unsaturated hydroxy-ester pheromone was isolated from the headspace and feces of male Diaprepes abbreviatus, identified, and synthesized. The pheromone, methyl (E)-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-2-pentenoate, was discovered by gas chromatography-coupled electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD), and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The synthesis yielded an 86:14 mixture of methyl (E)-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-2-pentenoate (active) and methyl (Z)-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-2-pentenoate (inactive), along with a lactone breakdown product. The activity of the synthetic E-isomer was confirmed by GC-EAD, GC-MS, NMR, and bioassays. No antennal response was observed to the Z-isomer or the lactone. In a two-choice olfactometer bioassay, female D. abbreviatus moved upwind towards the synthetic pheromone or natural pheromone more often compared with clean air. Males showed no clear preference for the synthetic pheromone. This pheromone, alone or in combination with plant volatiles, may play a role in the location of males by female D. abbreviatus.
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Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): Stephen L. Lapointe, Joseph C. Dickens, Ashot Khrimian, Paul S. Robbins

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.
	Diaprepes abbreviatus		U.S.A. (SE)