Components of the Female Sex Pheromone of the Newly-Described Canola Flower Midge, Contarinia brassicola

The canola flower midge, Contarinia brassicola Sinclair (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a newly-described species that induces galls on canola, Brassica napus Linnaeus and Brassica rapa Linnaeus (Brassicaceae). Identification of the sex pheromone of C. brassicola is essential to developing monitoring tools to elucidate the geographic range and hosts of this new pest, and the extent to which it threatens the $30 billion Canadian canola industry. The aim of this study was to identify and synthesize the female-produced sex pheromone of C. brassicola and demonstrate its effectiveness in attracting males to traps in the field. Two peaks were identified through GC-EAG analysis of female-produced volatiles which elicited electrophysiological responses in male antennae. These peaks were initially characterized through GC–MS and synthesis as 2,7-diacetoxynonane (major component) and 2-acetoxynonane (minor component), and the racemic compounds elicited EAG responses in male antennae. All four stereoisomers of 2,7-diacetoxynonane were synthesized and the naturally-produced compound was shown to be primarily the (2R,7S)-isomer by analysis on an enantioselective GC column, with a small amount of (2R,7R)-2,7-diacetoxynonane also present. The configuration of the minor component could not be determined because of the small amount present, but this was assumed to be (2R)-2-acetoxynonane by comparison with the configuration of the other two components. In field trials, none of the four stereoisomers of 2,7-diacetoxynonane, presented individually or as a racemic mixture, was attractive to male C. brassicola. However, dispensers loaded with a 10 µg:1 µg blend of (2R,7S)- and (2R,7R)-2,7-diacetoxynonane caught large numbers of male C. brassicola and significantly more than other blends tested. The addition of 0.5 µg of (2R)-2-acetoxynonane to this blend further increased the number of males caught. In future work, we will seek to identify the optimum trapping protocol for the application of the pheromone in monitoring and surveillance.