The effects of non-host plant essential oil volatiles on the behaviour of the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Mauchline, A. L., Osborne, J. L., Martin, A. P., Poppy, G. M. and Powell, W. 2005. The effects of non-host plant essential oil volatiles on the behaviour of the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 114 (3), pp. 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2005.00237.x

AuthorsMauchline, A. L., Osborne, J. L., Martin, A. P., Poppy, G. M. and Powell, W.
Abstract

The use of semiochemicals for manipulation of the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) is being investigated for potential incorporation into a push-pull control strategy for this pest, which damages oilseed rape, Brassica napus L. (Brassicaceae), throughout Europe. The response of M. aeneus to non-host plant volatiles was investigated in laboratory assays to establish whether they have any effect on host plant location behaviour. Two approaches were used. First a novel, moving-air bioassay using air funnels was developed to compare the response of M. aeneus to several non-host plant essential oils. The beetles avoided the host plant flowers in the presence of non-host volatiles, suggesting that M. aeneus uses olfactory cues in host location and/or acceptance. The results were expressed as 'repellency values' in order to compare the effects of the different oils tested. Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia Miller) (Lamiaceae) essential oil gave the highest repellency value. In addition, a four-arm olfactometer was used to investigate olfactory responses, as this technique eliminated the influence of host plant visual and contact cues. The attraction to host plant volatiles was reduced by the addition of non-host plant volatiles, but in addition to masking the host plant volatiles, the non-host volatiles were avoided when these were presented alone. This is encouraging for the potential use of non-host plants within a push-pull strategy to reduce the pest colonisation of crops. Further testing in more realistic semi-field and field trials is underway.

KeywordsEntomology
Year of Publication2005
JournalEntomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Journal citation114 (3), pp. 181-188
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1570-7458.2005.00237.x
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Funder project or code509
514
Delivery of semiochemicals within plant-pest natural enemy systems
Behavioural ecology of pollinators
ISSN00138703
0013-8703
PublisherWiley

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