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Pheromone Antagonism in the European Corn Borer Moth Ostrinia nubilalis

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Abstract

Mixing the sex pheromones of the Mediterranean corn borer, Sesamia nonagrioides, and the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, results in significantly lower captures of O. nubilalis when compared to traps loaded with its pheromone alone. Rubber septa loaded with a constant concentration of the pheromone of O. nubilalis and different percentages of the S. nonagrioides pheromone (from 1 to 100%) causes dose-dependent antagonism in the field. Electroantennograms of O. nubilalis males showed high antennal responses to its own pheromone components, followed by smaller responses to the major, [(Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:Ac)], and two minor components [dodecyl acetate (12:Ac) and (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald)] of the S. nonagrioides pheromone. There was almost no response to the S. nonagrioides minor component (Z)-11-hexadecenol (Z11-16:OH). Field tests that used traps baited with the O. nubilalis pheromone plus individual components of S. nonagrioides showed that Z11-16:Ald causes the antagonism. Adding 1% Z11-16:Ald to the pheromone of O. nubilalis reduced oriented flight and pheromone source contact in the wind tunnel by 26% and 83%, respectively, and trap captures in the field by 90%. The other three pheromone components of S. nonagrioides inhibited pheromone source contact but not oriented flight of O. nubilalis males and did not inhibit capture in the field. Cross-adaptation electroantennogram suggests that Z11-16:Ald stimulates a different odor receptor neuron than the pheromone components of O. nubilalis. We conclude that Z11-16:Ald is a potent antagonist of the behavioral response of O. nubilalis.

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We thank A. Escué, R. Gigato, J. Safont, R. Vaquera, and P. Vigata for technical support and the farmers for letting us use their fields. Funding for this study was provided by a CICYT grant to R. Albajes (AGL2002-00204) and an MCYT grant to César Gemeno (Programa Ramón y Cajal 2001).

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  1. Centre UdL-IRTA, Universitat de Lleida, Avda. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, Lleida, 25198, Spain

    César Gemeno, Albert Sans, Carmen López, Ramon Albajes & Matilde Eizaguirre

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  1. César Gemeno
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  2. Albert Sans
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  3. Carmen López
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  4. Ramon Albajes
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  5. Matilde Eizaguirre
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Correspondence to César Gemeno.

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Gemeno, C., Sans, A., López, C. et al. Pheromone Antagonism in the European Corn Borer Moth Ostrinia nubilalis . J Chem Ecol 32, 1071–1084 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9046-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9046-7

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