Electrohysiological and behavioral response of Goniozus nephantidis Muesbeck, to plant and host volatiles
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Date
2011
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Abstract
Experience of parasitoids with host and host related products have effects on their behavior. Learning can be induced by conditioning parasitoids at various stages i.e. pre imaginal or imaginal (after eclosion). Here we studied the volatiles from damaged, undamaged coconut leaflets and Opisina arenosella larval frass that cause electrphysiological and behavioural response in the bethylid parasitoid Goniozus nephantidis. The possibility of using the host frass for conditioning the parasitoids was explored. The damaged coconut leaflets released cyclopentanone, butanol, and alpha pinene and these compounds were absent in undamaged leaflets. Z-3 hexenol, a green leaf volatile was trapped form both damaged and undamaged plants. Alpha pinene released form undamaged leaflets caused the highest electroantennogram (EAG) peak amplitude (O.330mV) in female antennae. This was followed by cyclopentanone (O.30mV), hexanone (O.29mV) and hexanal (O.29mV) which were all at par. G nephantidis reared on Corcyra cephalonica conditioned with the larval frass of O. arenosellla when provided a choice preferred to parasitize O. arenosella as compared to C. cephalonica. Conditioned parasitoids when released in the field caused 59 per cent reduction in larval population per leaflet as compared to 29 per cent reduction by unconditioned parasitoids two months after release. Conditioning of G nephalliidis with odors of O. arenosella will aid to enhance the host searching ability of the parasitoids that were reared on C. cephalonica.
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Electrophysiology, Goniozus nephantidis, olfactory conditioning, Opisina arenosella
Citation
Journal of Plantalion Crops, 2011, 39 (1): 78-85