Identification and Field Evaluation of Sex Pheromone Components and Its Antagonist Produced by a Major Tea Pest, Archips strojny (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Simple SummaryThe tea tortrixArchips strojnyis a major pest of spring tea in China. Using sex pheromone-based mass trapping or mating disruption techniques to control this pest can minimize excessive pesticide usage, thereby maintaining pesticide residues within the safety standard for spring tea products. However, the sex pheromone components of this species remain elusive. In this study, we identified these components: laboratory assays showed that two bioactive compounds in female sex pheromone gland extracts, namely, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH), could elicit male moth antennal responses. A field trapping assay demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the attractant in the sex pheromone, while Z11-14:OH seemed to be an antagonist. Overall, our results indicated that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool forA. strojnymanagement in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was found to be a common attractant in the sex pheromones of nine leafroller species in the genusArchips. Thus, Z11-14:Ac may be used to develop a mating disruption technique targeting multiple leafroller species.AbstractPesticide application is the only known control method for the tea tortrixArchips strojny(Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which is a major pest of spring tea in China. To develop sex pheromone-based, environmentally safe control strategies, here we identified the sex pheromone components of this species. The male moths’ antennae responded electrophysiologically to two compounds in female pheromone gland extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the two bioactive compounds were (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH). Field trapping assays showed that lures baited with only the major component Z11-14:Ac were the most attractive to male moths, and the attractiveness decreased significantly when the lure was impregnated with increased relative ratios of the minor component Z11-14:OH. Our study demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the major attractant in theA. strojnysex pheromone, and the minor component Z11-14:OH seemed to serve as an antagonist. The results indicate that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool forA. strojnymanagement in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was identified as a common sex pheromone attractant of nineArchipsspecies; these results lay the foundation for developing mating disruption techniques that target multiple leafroller pests.Keywords:female sex pheromone;Archips strojny;(Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate;male attraction;tea pest