Journal
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
Volume 45, Issue 4, Pages 348-355Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01054-8
Keywords
Thrips pheromone; Megalurothrips sjostedti; Grain legumes; Olfactometer bioassay; Headspace analysis
Categories
Funding
- African Union through the African Union Research Grant [AURG/108/2012]
- Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK
- BBSRC Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Foundation Award (SAFARI) [BB/P022391/1]
- UK Aid from the UK Government
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
- Kenyan Government
- Plant Research International in Wageningen University, The Netherlands
- BBSRC [BB/P022391/1] Funding Source: UKRI
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Aggregation of the bean flower thrips, Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), has been observed on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. To understand the mechanism underpinning this behavior, we studied the responses of M. sjostedti to headspace volatiles from conspecifics in a four-arm olfactometer. Both male and female M. sjostedti were attracted to male, but not to female odor. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses revealed the presence of two distinct compounds in male M. sjostedti headspace, namely (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate (major compound) and (R)-lavandulol (minor compound); by contrast, both compounds were only present in trace amounts in female headspace collections. A behavioral assay using synthetic compounds showed that male M. sjostedti was attracted to both (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate and (R)-lavandulol, while females responded only to (R)-lavandulyl 3-methylbutanoate. This is the first report of a male-produced aggregation pheromone in the genus Megalurothrips. The bean flower thrips is the primary pest of cowpea, which is widely grown in sub-Saharan Africa. The attraction of male and female M. sjostedti to these compounds offers an opportunity to develop ecologically sustainable management methods for M. sjostedti in Africa.
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