Abstract
Olfactory cues may influence host plant preferences for oviposition of female moths within a community of stemborers that utilise the same resource. This study aimed to evaluate plant preferences for oviposition of gravid females of noctuid stemborers, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis, and the crambid Chilo partellus for uninfested maize plants and plants infested by conspecific or heterospecific larvae. The involvement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by uninfested and maize plants infested by conspecific or heterospecific larvae on moth orientation was studied in Y-tube olfactometer assays and in the field. All gravid female moths significantly preferred VOCs emitted by plants infested by conspecific or heterospecific larvae over those from uninfested plants, and female moths did not systematically prefer VOCs emitted by plants infested by conspecifics. Field trials confirmed these results. Chemical analysis by coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed that VOCs emitted by larvae-infested plants, regardless of the stemborer species, were compositionally richer than those released by uninfested plants but their emission intensity varied with species involved in the infestation. Busseola fusca larvae induced a compositionally richer VOCs profile than S. calamistis and C. partellus larvae. Eight candidate attractants were associated with larvae-infested plants. These results open new avenues to develop attractants specific to trap female stemborer moths in the field.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank IRD for funding the research; the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for funding the PhD fellowship under the grant number 91636630, University of Nairobi and icipe capacity building Capacity Building Program (ARPPIS) for hosting the PhD student. Thanks are also given to the staff of the IRD-NSBB project and BCED Unit at icipe, especially Boaz Musyoka and Onesmus Kaye Wanyama for their technical assistance provided. They also thank the stemborer rearing unit of the ARCU-icipe, especially Peter Malusi for the rearing and supply of insect larvae for this experiment. Thanks also to Fritz Schulthess for his critical review of the manuscript.
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Sokame, B.M., Ntiri, E.S., Ahuya, P. et al. Caterpillar-induced plant volatiles attract conspecific and heterospecific adults for oviposition within a community of lepidopteran stemborers on maize plant. Chemoecology 29, 89–101 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-019-00279-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-019-00279-z
Keywords
- Lepidoptera stemborers
- Maize plant
- Volatiles
- Olfaction
- Interactions