Electroantennogram, wind tunnel and field responses of male Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides, to several blends of its sex pheromone components

Abstract
The electrophysiological and behavioural responses of male Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to several synthetic blends of its sex pheromone components were investigated. Electroantennogram (EAG) recordings showed the greatest response to a 77:8:10:5 blend of the four compounds found in the female glands: (Z)‐11‐hexadecen‐1‐yl acetate, (Z)‐11‐hexadecen‐1‐ol, (Z)‐11‐hexadecenal and dodecyl acetate. A logistic equation was fitted to the dose‐response data and differences in relative EAG responses were analysed by deriving five parameters of this equation. Flight responses of males were also evaluated in a wind tunnel where the proposed blend (77:8:10:5) also elicited the best response. Field tests confirmed the laboratory findings as the 77:8:10:5 blend captured more S. nonagrioides males than other pheromone mixtures and showed more selectivity for male S. nonagrioides over other noctuid species, Discestra trifolii Rottenberg and Lacanobia oleracea L., but not for Mythimna unipuncta Haworth, a species with a sex pheromone composition almost identical to that of S. nonagrioides.

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