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Foraging wireworms are attracted to root-produced volatile aldehydes

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Abstract

Soil-dwelling insects are known to react to chemical cues they encounter in the rhizosphere. Whether wireworms (Coleoptera, Elateridae) use root-emitted volatile organic chemicals to localize their host plant remains, however, poorly understood. Here, we aimed at identifying chemical cues released by barley roots that attract Agriotes sordidus. In a first behavioral experiment, we assessed the ability of wireworms to orient towards live barley roots, using dual-choice olfactometers suitable for belowground insects. Then, we collected the volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by barley roots using a dynamic head-space sampling approach. VOC were quantified and identified using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The odorant blend is composed of four aldehydes, namely hexanal, (E)-hex-2-enal, (E)-non-2-enal, and (E,Z)-nona-2,6-dienal. In a second set of dual-choice bioassays, wireworms were attracted towards a synthetic blend of these four major compounds. However, the synthetic blend was not as attractive as live roots, which is partially explained by the absence of CO2, commonly known as a strong attractant for soil-dwelling insects. While CO2 indicates the presence of living material in the vicinity, we hypothesize that additional VOC inform about the plant suitability. A better understanding of these belowground signals would contribute to the development of new integrated control strategies against wireworms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Laurent Maunas and Jean-Baptiste Thibord for collaboration on wireworm supply, to Thomas Bertrand, Pierre Patrick Eloundou, Franck Michels, and Danny Trisman for technical support, and to Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech for supporting the RHIZOVOL project. Fanny Barsics was supported by a FRIA grant and a WBI.out post-doctoral scholarship. Benjamin M. Delory was supported by an F.R.S-FNRS grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Functional and Evolutionary Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 2, passage des Déportés, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium

    Fanny Barsics, Frédéric Francis, Éric Haubruge & François J. Verheggen

  2. Unit of Plant Biology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 2, passage des Déportés, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium

    Benjamin M. Delory & Pierre Delaplace

  3. Unit of General and Organic Chemistry, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 2, passage des Déportés, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium

    Marie-Laure Fauconnier

  4. Ecosystem Functioning and Services, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University, Scharnhorststrasse 1, C13.023, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany

    Benjamin M. Delory

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  1. Fanny Barsics
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Correspondence to Fanny Barsics.

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Communicated by M. Traugott.

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Barsics, F., Delory, B.M., Delaplace, P. et al. Foraging wireworms are attracted to root-produced volatile aldehydes. J Pest Sci 90, 69–76 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-016-0734-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-016-0734-y

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