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The role of two plant-derived volatiles in the foraging movement of 1st instar Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner): time to stop and smell the flowers

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Abstract

Positive phototaxis and negative geotaxis are behaviours that 1st instar Helicoverpa armigera use to direct their foraging movement upward towards nutritious new plant growth and reproductive structures. Odours emitted by fruits or seeds can attract larvae directly via chemotaxis. In this study we clarify the effect of leaf and flower odours on foraging 1st instar H. armigera. Using a Y-tube olfactometer we tested for chemotaxis towards two plant volatiles and found larvae were not attracted. Bioassays for phototaxis towards UV, blue, green and white light showed that a green leaf volatile ((Z)-3-hexenyl acetate) and a flower volatile (phenylacetaldehyde) reduced larval phototaxis towards blue light. Feeding on a host plant reduced phototaxis towards blue and green light. We concluded that the upward movement of 1st instars on plants is largely due to phototaxis towards the blue wavelengths of skylight. Plant attributes such as volatile chemicals affect the expression of phototaxis and therefore, indirectly influence larval movement to locate food resources.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks go to Dr. Dave Murray and Sue McLean, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and Patrick Buerger, AgBiotec, P.O. Box 537, Richmond, NSW, Australia, for providing H. armigera. Ben Beck, Yanni Baveas, Kirat Chan, Richardo Ramirez and Zhiming Chiew, The University of Queensland, provided technical assistance. This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (DP0666109).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Lynda E. Perkins, Bronwen W. Cribb & Myron P. Zalucki

  2. Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Bronwen W. Cribb

  3. Centre for Biological Information Technology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Jim Hanan

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  1. Lynda E. Perkins
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  2. Bronwen W. Cribb
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  3. Jim Hanan
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  4. Myron P. Zalucki
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Correspondence to Lynda E. Perkins.

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Handling Editor: Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson

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Perkins, L.E., Cribb, B.W., Hanan, J. et al. The role of two plant-derived volatiles in the foraging movement of 1st instar Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner): time to stop and smell the flowers. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 3, 173–179 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-009-9069-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-009-9069-4

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