Orientation Disruption of Euxoa Messoria (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Males with Synthetic Sex Attractant Components: Field and Flight Tunnel Studies
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Orientation Disruption of Euxoa messoria (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Males with Synthetic Sex Attractant Components: Field and Flight Tunnel Studies P. PALANISWAMY, E. W. UNDERHILL AND M. D. CHISHOLM National Research Council of Canada, Prairie Regional Laboratory, Saskatoon,Saskatchewan, Canada S7N OW9 Environ. Entomol. 13: 36-40 (1984) Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ee/article/13/1/36/2480252 by guest on 29 September 2021 ABSTRACT Disruption of orientation of Euxoa messoria male moths to traps baited with a synthetic sex attractant or virgin females was studied under two field designs. In both designs, the atmosphere in the test sites was permeated with (Z)-ll-hexadecenyl acetate (Zll-16:Ac), (Z)-7-hexadecenylacetate (Z7-16:Ac),and (Z)-9-hexadecenylacetate (Z9-16:Ac), each compound singly or as a ternary blend. In 81-m' test plots, effective (>89%) disori- entation of males occurred, using the blend or Zll-16:Ac alone; Z7-16:Ac and Z9-16:Ac, tested singly, were ineffective. In the other test sites, where the disruptants were released from rubber septa in close proximity to the monitoring trap, disorientation resulted from both the blend and Z7-16:Acalone; Zll-16:Ac was ineffective under these conditions. Studies of male behavioral responses to these components in a flight tunnel showed that Zll-16:Ac is a long-range attractant whereas Z7-16:Acprimarily effects close-range flight and landing. No behavioral effect could be attributed to Z9-16:Ac.Results of flight tunnel responses and visual observations of field test sites accounted for the disruption results obtained. THE DARKSIDED CUTWORM, Euxoa messoria (Har- ments, trace quantities seemed to enhance the ris), is widely distributed through North America, power of the published binary lure. occurring from coast to coast in southern Canada We report here the effect of air permeation with and as far south as Tennessee and California Zl1-16:Ac, Z7-16:Ac, and Z9-16:Ac on E. messorta (Hardwick 1970). The larvae are pests of several male orientation to female- and sex attractant- garden and annual crops (Beirne 1971). E. mes- baited monitoring traps in small-plot field tests. soria is particularly known as a pest of tobacco, on The behavioral responses by males to these com- which it is considered to be the most destructive ponents in a flight tunnel are also reported. of several cutworm pests (Cheng 1971). Pest management programs for the darksided Materials and Methods cutworm integrating a variety of techniques are needed to supplement the use of insecticides. Insects. Adult darksided cutworm females, Cheng (1977, 1981) has studied the possible role which were used to bait field traps, were reared of parasites. Another potential method is the use in the laboratory. Newly hatched larvae were of behavior-modifying chemicals that disrupt sex- placed on cut leaves of rye, Secaie cereaie, for ca. ual communication between adult moths and sup- 10 days and then transferred singly to l-oz (ca. press mating (Kydonieus and Beroza 1982). Before 30-ml) diet cups containing a modified wheat germ the use of behavior-modifying chemicals for large- diet (Shorey and Hale 1965). The culture was scale mating suppression, small-plot male disori- maintained at 22°C under a photoperiod of LD entation studies are recommended (Roelofs and 17:7. Pupae were sexed and stored separately until Novak 1981). Although disorientation studies do adult emergence. Male moths used for behavioral not test for mating suppression, they are an effec- studies in the flight tunnel were field collected, tive method of screening potential compounds, using cone-orifice traps similar to model 3 de- blends, and concentrations. Potential disruptants scribed by Steck and Bailey (1978) and baited with of E. messoria male orientation include (Z)-l1- Zl1-16:Ac (200 ~g) + Z7-16:Ac (10 ~g) + Z9-16: hexadecenyl acetate (Zl1-16:Ac) and (Z)-7-hex- Ac (0.2 ~g). The insects were held in the laboratory adecenyl acetate (Z7-16:Ac), components of a sex at 22° C, 70% relative humidity (RH), for at least attractant for this species (Struble et al. 1977). The 2 days before experimentation to permit their re- most abundant compound in the attractant, Zl1- covery from any possible habituating effects of the 16:Ac, has been identified in ovipositor extracts of trap lure. adult females (Underhill, unpublished data). We Chemicals and Traps. Hexadecen-l-ols were considered (Z)-9-hexadecenyl acetate (Z9-16:Ac) synthesized by recognized procedures, purified by also as a potential disruptant, because in field tests argentation chromatography, and acetylated with conducted before these disorientation experi- acetic anhydride (Chisholm et al. 1980). Assayed 36 February 1984 PALANISWAMY ET AL.: DISRUPTION OF E. messoria SEX ATTRACTION 37 by capillary gas chromatography (GC), each was ment of wing fanning. Males that failed to show >98% pure and contained no detectable positional wing fanning within 3 min after sample introduc- or geometrical isomers, nor any functional group tion were considered nonresponsive and were dis- analogs such as free alcohols. Red rubber septa carded. Each moth was tested only once, and all (Arthur H. Thomas no. 8753-D22), impregnated were discarded at the end of each day. Visual ob- via 1% solutions in hexane, were used as disruptant servations of each moth's behavior were spoken releasers and trap lures. Release rates of hexadec- into a cassette recorder, and the data were tran- enyl acetates from rubber septa were calculated scribed later. (Butler and McDonough 1979), using 730 days for In this report, moths were considered to have their half-life. Cone-orifice traps were used initiated plume-oriented flight if they followed the throughout. Monitoring traps were baited with plume for at least 10 cm from the point of release. either Zll-16:Ac (200 ILg) + Z7-16:Ac (10 ILg) + Plume-oriented flight refers to continued upwind Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ee/article/13/1/36/2480252 by guest on 29 September 2021 Z9-16:Ac (0.2ILg) or with three virgin females held flight in the plume or to hovering and looping within a wire screen cage. Traps were inspected flights in the plume area but without upwind prog- daily, and new females were added as required. ress. Plume-oriented flight was considered termi- In this report the word "disruptant" is used to nated when the moth left the plume area and did denote test chemicals employed to disrupt the ori- not reorient in the plume. entation of male moths to traps baited with syn- Statistical Analyses. In field disruption experi- thetic chemical lures or live female moths. ments, sets of treatments were set out for varying Field Designs. Two experimental designs were times during the flight period. Data within a set employed to assess disorientation of males to mon- were transformed to \IX + 0.5 and analyzed by itoring traps. In one design, 16 stakes 1.5 m high an analysis of variance test and significant differ- were set in a square grid (4 by 4) to form a test ences among means were determined by Duncan's plot 81 m2• A rubber septum attached near the top multiple range test. Flight tunnel tests were done of each stake was used to release potential disrup- on several days, and each day 30 to 40 males were tants in the test plot. An additional stake, centered exposed to different treatments in varying number in the test plot, carried a monitoring trap at a and in random order. Only the three-component height of 1.5 m. In the other design, termed "close- treatment, namely, Zll-16:Ac (20 /-lg)+ Z7-16:Ac range disruption," disruptants were released from (5 /-lg)+ Z9-16:Ac (0.1 /-lg), was tested every day eight septa which were equally spaced in a hori- and x2 comparisons indicated no significant day- zontal circle around the axis through the trap en- to-day variations in any of the responses examined. try holes. The extent of male orientation disrup- The data from all testing days were combined, and tion was assessed by comparing the number of the percentages were transformed (arcsin y'X). The males captured in disruptant test sites and in check significance of treatment effects was compared by plots which contained similarly baited traps. Tests x2 analysis, and the means were compared by were done in cereal crop fields, and all test sites Duncan's multiple range test, using a pooled bi- and check plots were separated from others by at nomial error variance (Palaniswamy et al. 1983). least 150 m. Treatment effects on transformed latency data (In Field Observations. The nocturnal flight behav- X) and plume-oriented flight termination data were ior of E. messoria in the close-range disruption compared by Duncan's multiple range test using plots was studied by using night viewing devices the error mean square from one-way analysis of (Varo model 9876 and Javelin model 221). Obser- variance. vations were made on several nights, and each treatment plot was observed for a total of ca. 45 Results and Discussion min. Flight Tunnel. The flight tunnel has been de- The relative attractancy of the synthetic lure scribed in detail previously (Palaniswamy et al. and virgin female moths for target males was tested 1983). All flight tunnel assays were done 1 to 3 h before the disorientation experiments. In a test into scotophase. The tunnel, illuminated by flu- replicated three times, traps baited with the syn- orescent lights (0.1 lux) had a laminar air flow of thetic lure and with females captured 88 and 54 25 cm sec-·I. At the start of the test, a cylindrical E.