Chemical Cues Used by the Weevil <i>Curculio chinensis</i> in Attacking the Host Oil Plant <i>Camellia oleifera</i>
2022
Hualong Qiu | Danyang Zhao | Eduardo G. P. Fox | Siquan Ling | Changsheng Qin | Jinzhu Xu
The weevil <i>Curculio chinensis</i> Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major cause of economic losses to growers of <i>Camellia oleifera</i> in China, as females lay their eggs in developing fruits and the hatching larvae feed on their seed, aborting fruit growth. Olfactory cues play a key role in the host location of this weevil. The present study focused on identifying volatiles from different parts of the host plant <i>Ca. oleifera,</i> namely, the leaves, fruit peel, and seeds, and testing the antennal and behavioral responses of adult <i>Cu. chinensis</i> to those same volatiles. Methods relied on gas chromatography, electroantennograms, and Y-tube bioassays. The results included a total of twenty-five volatiles emitted by the three plant parts, among which eight elicited antennal responses in <i>Cu. chinensis</i> adults of both sexes. The behavioral bioassays indicated that 3-hexenal, trans-2-hexen-1-ol, methyl salicylate, geraniol, and phenethyl alcohol were attractive to <i>Cu. chinensis,</i> while trans-2-hexenal and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol were repellent. Tests with different concentrations indicated that the behavioral response could be dose-dependent. Future studies should focus on field tests with blends of the attractant compounds in order to develop novel, improved control methods for field applications.
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