A Combination of Olfactory and Visual Cues Enhance the Behavioral Responses of Apolygus lucorum

Abstract

In past decades, the mirid bug Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae) has become the key insect pest of cotton, many fruit trees, and other host crops in China. In this study, we investigated the behavioral responses of A. lucorum adults to olfactory cues associated with cotton plants and visual cues (green, red, and yellow light-emitting diodes [LED]), presented either singly or simultaneously. In these Y-tube choice tests, female and male adult A. lucorum displayed strikingly similar behavioral responses to olfactory cues, visual cues, and their combination. Adults significantly preferred flowering cotton plants to either the non-plant control or the vegetative cotton plants. The green LED was more attractive to A. lucorum adults than the non-LED control, whereas no differences were found between the red or yellow LED and the non-LED control. In contrast with the red and yellow LEDs, green LED caused a much larger percentage of adults to respond. Furthermore, when green LED and flowering cotton plants were presented simultaneously, the behavioral responses of A. lucorum adults were significantly enhanced compared to those responses to either a single cue or the control. This study suggests that the combination of olfactory and visual cues enhances the behavioral responses of A. lucorum adults, which could aid the development of effective trapping and monitoring strategies for this pest mirid bug.