Foraging wireworms are attracted to root-produced volatile aldehydes

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Fanny Barsics
  • Benjamin M. Delory
  • Pierre Delaplace
  • Frédéric Francis
  • Marie Laure Fauconnier
  • Éric Haubruge
  • François J. Verheggen

Soil-dwelling insects are known to react to chemical cues they encounter in the rhizosphere. Whether wireworms (Coleoptera, Elateridae) use root-emitted volatile organic chemicals to localize their host plant remains, however, poorly understood. Here, we aimed at identifying chemical cues released by barley roots that attract Agriotes sordidus. In a first behavioral experiment, we assessed the ability of wireworms to orient towards live barley roots, using dual-choice olfactometers suitable for belowground insects. Then, we collected the volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by barley roots using a dynamic head-space sampling approach. VOC were quantified and identified using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The odorant blend is composed of four aldehydes, namely hexanal, (E)-hex-2-enal, (E)-non-2-enal, and (E,Z)-nona-2,6-dienal. In a second set of dual-choice bioassays, wireworms were attracted towards a synthetic blend of these four major compounds. However, the synthetic blend was not as attractive as live roots, which is partially explained by the absence of CO2, commonly known as a strong attractant for soil-dwelling insects. While CO2 indicates the presence of living material in the vicinity, we hypothesize that additional VOC inform about the plant suitability. A better understanding of these belowground signals would contribute to the development of new integrated control strategies against wireworms.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Pest Science
Volume90
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)69-76
Number of pages8
ISSN1612-4758
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.02.2017

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