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Electrophysiological Responses of the Lepidopterous Stemborers Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca to Volatiles from Wild and Cultivated Host Plants

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Abstract

The stemborers Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca are major pests of subsistence cereal farming in Africa. Volatiles released by two cultivated hosts, sorghum and maize (Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays), and two wild grass hosts, Pennisetum purpureum and Hyparrhenia tamba, were collected by air entrainment. Electrophysiologically active components in these samples were detected by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAG), and the active peaks identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 41 compounds were identified from the four plant species, all of which, as well as two unidentified compounds, elicited an electrophysiological response from one or both of the stemborers. The compounds included a number of green leaf volatiles and other aliphatic aldehydes, ketones, and esters, mono- and sesquiterpenoids, and some aromatic compounds. EAG studies with authentic samples, conducted at two discriminating doses for all compounds, and dose–response curves for 14 of the most highly EAG-active compounds, showed significant differences in relative responses between species. The compounds that elicited large responses in both species of moths included linalool, acetophenone, and 4-allylanisole, while a number of compounds such as the aliphatic aldehydes octanal, nonanal, and decanal elicited a large response in B. fusca, but a significantly smaller response in C. partellus. Furthermore, the wild hosts produced higher levels of physiologically active compounds compared with either of the cultivated hosts. These differences are discussed in relation to the differential attraction/oviposition of the two stemborers observed in the field and, particularly for eastern African small-scale farming systems, in the context of using a push–pull strategy for their control.

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Acknowledgments

Teodora Toshova was the recipient of a Royal Society Fellowship. Rothamsted Research received grant-aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council of the UK. The work was also supported by the UK Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ, UK

    M. A. Birkett, K. Chamberlain, J. A. Pickett, L. J. Wadhams & C. M. Woodcock

  2. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P. O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya

    Z. R. Khan

  3. Institute of Zoology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Blvd. Tzar Osvoboditel 1, Sofia, 1000, Bulgaria

    T. Toshova

Authors
  1. M. A. Birkett
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  2. K. Chamberlain
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  3. Z. R. Khan
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  4. J. A. Pickett
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  5. T. Toshova
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  6. L. J. Wadhams
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  7. C. M. Woodcock
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Correspondence to K. Chamberlain.

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Birkett, M.A., Chamberlain, K., Khan, Z.R. et al. Electrophysiological Responses of the Lepidopterous Stemborers Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca to Volatiles from Wild and Cultivated Host Plants. J Chem Ecol 32, 2475–2487 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9165-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9165-1

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