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Role of Plant Volatiles in Host Plant Recognition by Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

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Abstract

The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW), Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, is an economically important pest of short cut turfgrass. Annual bluegrass, Poa annua L., is the most preferred and suitable host for ABW oviposition, larval survival and development. We investigated the involvement of grass volatiles in ABW host plant preference under laboratory and field conditions. First, ovipositional and feeding preferences of ABW adults were studied in a sensory deprivation experiment. Clear evidence of involvement of olfaction in host recognition by ABW was demonstrated. Poa annua was preferred for oviposition over three bentgrasses, Agrostis spp., but weevils with blocked antennae did not exhibit significant preferences. ABW behavioral responses to volatiles emitted by Agrostis spp. and P. annua were examined in Y-tube olfactometer assays. Poa annua was attractive to ABW females and preferred to Agrostis spp. cultivars in Y-tube assays. Headspace volatiles emitted by P. annua and four cultivars of Agrostis stolonifera L. and two each of A. capillaris L. and A. canina L. were extracted, identified and compared. No P. annua specific volatiles were found, but Agrostis spp. tended to have larger quantities of terpenoids than P. annua. (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, phenyl ethyl alcohol and their combination were the most attractive compounds to ABW females in laboratory Y-tube assays. The combination of these compounds as a trap bait in field experiments attracted adults during the spring migration, but was ineffective once the adults were on the short-mown turfgrass. Hence, their usefulness for monitoring weevil populations needs further investigation.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the technical assistance of Eric Weibel and the staff of Rutgers Horticulture Farm 2. We are grateful for expertise and assistance provided by Dr. Stacy Bonos with grass propagation and maintenance. This research was supported by grants from the Golf Course Superintendents Assn. of America and supporting Chapters (GCSA of New Jersey, Hudson Valley GCSA, Keystone AGCS, Long Island GCSA, Metropolitan GCSAA, New Jersey Turfgrass Assn., Pocono Turfgrass Assn.), the US Golf Assn., the O.J. Noer Research Foundation, the Tri-state Turf Research Foundation, the Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science, and by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Multistate project 0206130 through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and Hatch Multistate projects NJ08295 and NJ08192.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, 96 Lipman Dr., New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Olga S. Kostromytska & Albrecht M. Koppenhöfer

  2. Department of Entomology, Philip E. Marucci Blueberry and Cranberry Research Center, Rutgers University, 125a Lake Oswego, Chatsworth, NJ, 08019, USA

    Cesar Rodriguez-Saona

  3. USDA, ARS, SEA, CMAVE, 1600-1700 SW 23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA

    Hans T. Alborn

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  1. Olga S. Kostromytska
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  2. Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
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  3. Hans T. Alborn
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  4. Albrecht M. Koppenhöfer
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Correspondence to Olga S. Kostromytska.

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Kostromytska, O.S., Rodriguez-Saona, C., Alborn, H.T. et al. Role of Plant Volatiles in Host Plant Recognition by Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). J Chem Ecol 44, 580–590 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-018-0964-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-018-0964-y

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