Pan Wang,Na Zhang,Li-Lin Zhou,Sheng-Yun Si,Chao-Liang Lei,Hui Ai,Xiao-Ping Wang
In many herbivorous insects, the attraction to suitable host plants is in part mediated by similar olfactory cues from different host plants. This study investigated the electrophysiological and behavioral responses of female Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to floral volatiles from two host plants, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers and Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet (both Fabaceae). Qualitative and quantitative differences were found between the odor profiles of two host plants by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nine electroantennography-active compounds were detected in the headspace collections of the two host plants by means of coupled GC-electroantennographic detection. In a wind tunnel, female behaviors (upwind flight and source approach) were not affected by stimuli or their interaction with host plants, but the behaviors were influenced by host plants. A mixture of the nine bioactive compounds, including limonene, 1,3-diethylbenzene, benzaldehyde, acetophenone, 4-ethylbenzaldehyde, 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-ethanone, 2-methyl-3-phenylpropanal, 1H-indol-4-ol, and 1,1′-(1,4-phenylene)bis-ethanone mimicking L. purpureus (in a ratio of 0.4:9.7:2.4:5.7:78.1:4.8:100:0.6:30.3) attracted significantly more females approaching the sources compared with the mixture of compounds mimicking V. unguiculata (in a ratio of 0.3:1.4:1.6:3.7:50.8:3.2:100:4.2:16.7). Further bioassays revealed that a subtractive 4-component blend [limonene, 1,3-diethylbenzene, 4-ethylbenzaldehyde, and 1-(4-ethylphenyl)-ethanone in a ratio of 0.4:9.7:78.1:4.8] was essential for maximal attraction. Our study suggested that female M. vitrata might use similar odors from V. unguiculata and L. purpureus to locate suitable hosts and that an artificial lure, containing the major floral volatiles released by the two host plants, might be useful in exploring efficiency monitoring and/or control strategies of this moth in the field.
Jing Zhou,Na Zhang,Pan Wang,Shichang Zhang,Daiqin Li,Kaiyu Liu,Guoxiu Wang,Xiaoping Wang,Hui Ai
Chemoreception is a key feature in selection of host plant by phytophagous insects, and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are involved in chemical communication of both insects and vertebrates. The legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is one of the key pest species of cowpea and widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions, causing up to 80% of yield loss. In this study, we investigated the electrophysiological responses of female M . vitrata to floral volatiles from V . unguiculata . Seventeen electroantennogram-active compounds were identified from floral volatiles of V . unguiculata by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then, we cloned two novel full-length GOBP genes ( MvitGOBP1 and MvitGOBP2 ) from the antennae of M . vitrata using reverse transcription PCR. Protein sequence analysis indicated that they shared high sequence similarity with other Pyralididae insect GOBPs and had the typical six-cysteine signature. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that MvitGOBP1-2 mRNA was highly expressed in the antennae of female adult with several thousands-fold difference compare to other tissue. Next, the recombinant MvitGOBP1-2 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified using Ni ion affinity chromatography. Fluorescence binding assays demonstrated that MvitGOBP1-2 had different binding affinities with 17 volatile odorant molecules including butanoic acid butyl ester, limonene, 4-ethylpropiophenone, 1H-indol-4-ol, butanoic acid octyl ester and 2-methyl-3-phenylpropanal. In the field trapping experiment, these six floral volatiles could effectively attract female moths and showed significant difference compared with the blank lure. These results suggested that MvitGOBPs and the seventeen floral volatiles are likely to function in the olfactory behavior response of female moths, which may have played crucial roles in the selection of oviposition sites. The six compounds that we have identified from the volatiles of V . unguiculata may provide useful information for exploring efficiency monitoring and integrated pest management strategies of this legume pod borer in the field.