Chemical Signals from Host Plant and Sexual Behavior in a Moth
ASHOK K. RAINA 1,
TIMOTHY G. KINGAN 1, and
AUTAR K. MATTOO 2
1 Insect Neurobiology and Hormone Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705
2 Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705
In the phytophagous corn earworm, Helicoverpa (Heliothis) zea, females delay their reproductive behaviors until they find a suitable host on which to deposit their eggs. Perception of volatile chemical signals from corn silk triggers the production of sex pheromone followed by its release, which leads to mating. Several natural corn silk volatiles, including the plant hormone ethylene, induced pheromone production in H. zea females. Because H. zea larvae feed on the fruiting parts of a wide variety of hosts, ethylene, which is associated with fruit ripening, could act as a common cue.
Submitted on September 9, 1991
Accepted on November 6, 1991
