Southwestern Entomologist (2012) 37, 341-349

Ausencio Azuara-Domínguez, Juan Cibrián-Tovar, Antonio P. Terán-Vargas, Felipe Tafoya-Rangel, Paulina Vega-Aquino and Carlos A. Blanco (2012)
Trapping Scyphophorus acupunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with fermented tequila agave, and identification of the attractant volatiles
Southwestern Entomologist 37 (3), 341-349
Abstract: To trap the agave weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, tissue of Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber var. 'azul' and the synthetic pheromone 2-methyl-4-octanone were used. This study evaluated the efficacy of the fermented "pineapple" or "head" of A. tequilana. We also identified volatile compounds attractive to the agave weevil. In the field, between August 2009 and December 2011, we evaluated the following treatments: 1) pheromone, 2) pheromone + fermented agave head, 3) pheromone + non-fermented agave head, 4) fermented agave head, 5) non-fermented agave head, and control (water + insecticide). The volatiles were sampled using the technique of solid-phase microextraction and identified with a gas Chromatograph coupled to a mass selective detector. The traps baited with the pheromone and fermented agave head caught more weevils than did the other treatments. The fermented agave head increased the attraction of S. acupunctatus, while the non-fermented agave head did not contribute significantly. The following volatiles were identified in the fermented agave head: ethyl acetate, ethanol, 2-butanol, and acetic acid. In the non-fermented agave head, 24 volatile compounds were collected, and they were different than those identified in the fermented head. The results obtained indicated that the fermented material was a viable alternative to optimize trapping of S. acupunctatus, because the liberated volatile chemical compounds of the attractant captured a greater number of weevils in the field.
(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): Carlos A. Blanco, Juan Cibrian-Tovar

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.
	Scyphophorus acupunctatus	Agave (crop)	Mexico