| Title: | "Kiwifruit Flower Odor Perception and Recognition by Honey Bees, Apis mellifera" |
| Author(s): | Twidle AM; Mas F; Harper AR; Horner RM; Welsh TJ; Suckling DM; |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1520-5118 (Electronic) 0021-8561 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from male and female kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward') flowers were collected by dynamic headspace sampling. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) perception of the flower VOCs was tested using gas chromatography coupled to electroantennogram detection. Honey bees consistently responded to six compounds present in the headspace of female kiwifruit flowers and five compounds in the headspace of male flowers. Analysis of the floral volatiles by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and microscale chemical derivatization showed the compounds to be nonanal, 2-phenylethanol, 4-oxoisophorone, (3E,6E)-alpha-farnesene, (6Z,9Z)-heptadecadiene, and (8Z)-heptadecene. Bees were then trained via olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) to synthetic mixtures of these compounds using the ratios present in each flower type. Honey bees trained to the synthetic mixtures showed a high response to the natural floral extracts, indicating that these may be the key compounds for honey bee perception of kiwifruit flower odor" |
| Keywords: | "Actinidia/chemistry/*parasitology Animals Bees/*physiology Behavior, Animal Female Flowers/chemistry/*parasitology Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Male Odorants/*analysis Perception Pollination Volatile Organic Compounds/chemistry (3E, 6E)-alpha-farne;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineTwidle, Andrew M Mas, Flore Harper, Aimee R Horner, Rachael M Welsh, Taylor J Suckling, David M eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2015/06/02 J Agric Food Chem. 2015 Jun 17; 63(23):5597-602. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01165. Epub 2015 Jun 9" |
