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Assessment of synthetic chemicals for disruption of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus response to attractant-baited traps in an urban environment

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Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), is one of the most severe pests of ornamental palm species in urban areas of Mediterranean countries. Aiming to discover inhibitory semiochemicals for RPW population management in urban environments, we conducted electroantennographic (EAG) screenings of 17 commercially available synthetic compounds, representing three groups of plant volatiles (isoprenoids, phenyl propanoid derivatives and fatty acid derivatives) known for their repellent effects toward insects. These tests were followed by trap-based screenings of EAG-active menthone, α-pinene and methyl salicylate, singly and in combination, under urban conditions. In EAG bioassays, RPW antennae of both sexes showed positive dose-dependent responses to 13 of the 17 synthetic chemicals with significant differences among them. In field trapping experiments, conducted in the city of Palermo, Italy, from weeks 31 to 38 in 2010 and 2011, α-pinene, tested singly or in combination with methyl salicylate (2010) or menthone (2011), reduced trap catches by about 30% to 40%. Methyl salicylate and menthone alone were inactive. In conclusion, RPW is significantly affected by α-pinene. This isoprenoid is a promising disruptant for semiochemical-based management of this pest. In addition, identification of a large number of EAG-active chemicals could serve as a database for future design of active repellents or attractants of RPW adults.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Anna Litovsky for her technical help in the behavioral bioassays, Saadia Reneh for his help in weevil maintenance, to Dr. Ally Harari for her comments on an earlier version of the manuscript and anonymous reviewers for their valuable remarks. The authors also wish to thank the commander of the fourth regiment “Guastatori” of Caserma Scianna – Palermo. Funding for this work was provided by the projects “FITOPALMINTRO” and “TECNOCONTROPURO” of the Sicilian Region and the Board of Israeli Date Palm Growers’ Association.

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  1. Department DEMETRA, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze edificio 5, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Salvatore Guarino, Ezio Peri, Paolo Lo Bue, Maria Pia Germanà & Stefano Colazza

  2. Agricultural Research Organization, Department of Entomology, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Leonid Anshelevich & Victoria Soroker

  3. Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya’ar Research Center, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel

    Uzi Ravid

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  1. Salvatore Guarino
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  2. Ezio Peri
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  3. Paolo Lo Bue
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  8. Victoria Soroker
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Correspondence to Victoria Soroker.

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Guarino, S., Peri, E., Lo Bue, P. et al. Assessment of synthetic chemicals for disruption of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus response to attractant-baited traps in an urban environment. Phytoparasitica 41, 79–88 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-012-0266-9

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