Field Trapping of Predaceous Insects With Synthetic Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles in Cotton Fields

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Nine herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) and one methyl jasmonate were field-tested for their attractiveness to the main predators in cotton fields of North China in 2 yr. The main predators including ladybird beetles (Propylaea japonica (Thunberg), Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)), green lacewings (Chrysoplera sinica (Tjeder), Chrysopa spp.), predatory bugs (Geocoris pallidipennis (Costa), Orius spp., Nabis spp.) and spiders (Misumenops tricuspidatus (Fabricius), Erigonidium graminicolum (Sundevall)) were investigated. Two-way ANOVA indicated that the volatile compound, year, and the volatile compound × year interaction affected the behavioral responses of predators. It was found that indole significantly attracted the ladybird beetle P. japonica, H. axyridis. Linalool could attract P. japonica. Green lacewing C. sinica was significantly attracted by α-pinene and β-pinene, whereas indole significantly attracted Chrysopa spp. Methyl jasmonate and α-pinene showed significant attraction to small-flower bug Orius spp. In addition, the attraction of α-humulene to C. sinica, attractiveness of β-pinene to Orius spp. and Chrysopa spp., were observed only in one of the two years. However, the big-eyed bug G. pallidipennis, damsel bug Nabis spp., spiders M. tricuspiata and E. graminicolum did not respond to any of the tested HIPVs. These results are discussed with respect to possible applications of a synthetic attractant for main predators in cotton fields.