Magalhães, D., Borges, M., Laumann, R. A., Sujii, E. R., Mayon, P., Caulfield, J. C., Midega, C. A. O., Khan, Z. R., Pickett, J. A.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8386-3770, Birkett, M. A. and Blassioli-Moraes, M. C.
2012.
Semiochemicals from herbivory induced cotton plants enhance the foraging behavior of the Cotton Boll Weevil, Anthonomus grandis.
Journal of Chemical Ecology
38
(12)
, pp. 1528-1538.
10.1007/s10886-012-0216-5
|
Abstract
The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, has been monitored through deployment of traps baited with aggregation pheromone components. However, field studies have shown that the number of insects caught in these traps is significantly reduced during cotton squaring, suggesting that volatiles produced by plants at this phenological stage may be involved in attraction. Here, we evaluated the chemical profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by undamaged or damaged cotton plants at different phenological stages, under different infestation conditions, and determined the attractiveness of these VOCs to adults of A. grandis. In addition, we investigated whether or not VOCs released by cotton plants enhanced the attractiveness of the aggregation pheromone emitted by male boll weevils. Behavioral responses of A. grandis to VOCs from conspecific-damaged, heterospecific-damaged (Spodoptera frugiperda and Euschistus heros) and undamaged cotton plants, at different phenological stages, were assessed in Y-tube olfactometers. The results showed that volatiles emitted from reproductive cotton plants damaged by conspecifics were attractive to adults boll weevils, whereas volatiles induced by heterospecific herbivores were not as attractive. Additionally, addition of boll weevil-induced volatiles from reproductive cotton plants to aggregation pheromone gave increased attraction, relative to the pheromone alone. The VOC profiles of undamaged and mechanically damaged cotton plants, in both phenological stages, were not different. Chemical analysis showed that cotton plants produced qualitatively similar volatile profiles regardless of damage type, but the quantities produced differed according to the plant’s phenological stage and the herbivore species. Notably, vegetative cotton plants released higher amounts of VOCs compared to reproductive plants.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Chemistry |
| Publisher: | Springer |
| ISSN: | 0098-0331 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Feb 2026 12:28 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/184678 |
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