Discovery of a specific volatile substance from rice grain and its application in controlling stored-grain pests

Abstract

The research of host insect-resistance is a hot spot in the field of controlling storage pests. However, the mechanism of host resistance to storage pests is still unclear. Some researchers think it is related to grain cracking characters of rice husk, while others have linked it to volatile compounds in rice grains. In this paper, using 117 micro-core germplasm resources of rice and the investigation on the rate of insect damage, sixteen materials with different insect-resistance and four with significant difference in insect resistance were selected. Pentanamide, a volatile compound in rice, was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and found to be negatively correlated with the rate of insect damage of rice materials. The bioassay results showed that 8% Pentanamide had a good effect on controlling storage pests and trapping pests. This study provided direct evidence for the correlation between rice volatile compounds and their host insect-resistant mechanisms.