Effect of host plant volatile extracts on search behavior in Pieris rapae crucivora boisduval
2009
Ikeura, H.(Meiji Univ., Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Japan)) | Kobayashi, F. | Hayata, Y.
The present study clarified the response of the adult female of small cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae crucivora Boisduval) to the volatile extract of its host plant by investigating adult females' landing preference for cabbage (a host plant) and lettuce (a non-host plant), and the volatile extracts of these plants. Adult females overwhelmingly preferred cabbage to lettuce, thus exhibiting host specificity to cabbage, a Brassicaceae plant. Furthermore, adult females much preferred the volatile extracts of cabbage to those of lettuce, which indicates that adult females recognize the host plant by sensing its volatile components, and that cabbage volatile extracts contain attractants for adult females. Moreover, we investigated the landing preference and number of landings of adult females using different concentrations of cabbage volatile extracts. As the concentration of cabbage extracts increased, the selectivity of adult females also increased. In particular, the preference of adult females was highest at a concentration of these extracts of 250 g/ml, indicating a positive dose-response relationship with these extracts. Also the number of landings increased with increasing concentrations up to 50 g/m, but tended to decrease above this concentration. These results indicate that the adult female small cabbage butterfly recognizes the host plant by sensing its volatile components.
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