Title: | Attraction and oviposition of Tuta absoluta females in response to tomato leaf volatiles |
Author(s): | Proffit M; Birgersson G; Bengtsson M; Reis R; Witzgall P; Lima E; |
Address: | "Chemical Ecology Group, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden. magali.proffit@slu.se" |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10886-011-9961-0 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "The tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a devastating pest of cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum throughout South and Central America and Europe. We aimed to characterize the behavioral mechanisms and the chemical cues involved in host selection of T. absoluta females by chemical analysis of tomato leaf volatiles, wind tunnel attraction assays, and oviposition bioassays. Tomato leaf odor elicited in mated females upwind orientation flight followed by landing as well as egg-laying, demonstrating the essential role of plant volatiles in T. absoluta host-finding behavior. In wind tunnel and oviposition choice experiments, T. absoluta females significantly preferred tomato S. lycopersicum over wild tomato Solanum habrochaites, which is resistant to larval feeding. This indicates that leaf volatiles provide information on the suitability of plants as larval hosts. Mated females also discriminated three cultivars of S. lycopersicum according to their volatile profiles. Headspace collections from leaves of these three cultivars contained large amounts of beta-phellandrene, followed by limonene, 2-carene, and (E)-beta-caryophyllene, which together accounted for more than 70% of tomato foliage headspace. Most leaf volatiles were released by all three cultivars, but they showed significant differences with respect to the presence of a few minor compounds and blend proportion. This is an initial study of the volatile signatures that mediate attraction and oviposition of tomato leafminer T. absoluta in response to its main host, tomato" |
Keywords: | "Animals Behavior, Animal/*drug effects Brazil Cues Cyclohexenes/analysis/pharmacology Female Solanum lycopersicum/*chemistry Moths/drug effects/*physiology Odorants Oviposition Plant Leaves/chemistry Terpenes/analysis/pharmacology Volatile Organic Compoun;" |
Notes: | "MedlineProffit, Magali Birgersson, Goran Bengtsson, Marie Reis, Ronaldo Jr Witzgall, Peter Lima, Eraldo eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2011/05/12 J Chem Ecol. 2011 Jun; 37(6):565-74. doi: 10.1007/s10886-011-9961-0. Epub 2011 May 11" |