TY - JOUR

T1 - Foraging wireworms are attracted to root-produced volatile aldehydes

AU - Barsics, Fanny

AU - Delory, Benjamin M.

AU - Delaplace, Pierre

AU - Francis, Frédéric

AU - Fauconnier, Marie Laure

AU - Haubruge, Éric

AU - Verheggen, François J.

PY - 2017/2/1

Y1 - 2017/2/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Coleoptera

KW - Elateridae

KW - Agriotes

KW - Integrated pest management

KW - Volatile compounds

KW - chemical ecology

KW - Dynamic head-space sampling

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Biology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84957946001&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10340-016-0734-y

DO - 10.1007/s10340-016-0734-y

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84957946001

VL - 90

SP - 69

EP - 76

JO - Journal of Pest Science

JF - Journal of Pest Science

SN - 1612-4758

IS - 1

ER -