Sex pheromone composition of the variegated cutworm, Peridroma saucia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in Korea

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the sex pheromone composition of the variegated cutworm ( Peridroma saucia Hübner) in Korea. The sex pheromone components of P. saucia were identified as ( Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate ( Z9-14:Ac) and ( Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate ( Z11-16:Ac) through GC-EAD and GC–MS analysis. EAG tests of the male antennae revealed that the Z9-14:AC exerted significantly larger responses than other compounds. The female moths primarily called and copulated between 6 h and 7 h after the lights off, and the ratio of two pheromone components, Z9-14:Ac and Z11-16:Ac, in the sex pheromone gland during this period was 1:2.1 to 1:2.4. In the field trapping studies, a large number of male moths were caught in the traps baited with the mixtures of Z9-14:Ac and Z11-16:Ac at the ratios ranging from 2.3:1 to 1:4, with the highest trap catches at 1:1 to 1:2.3 ratios of the two components. The seasonal flight activities of P. saucia monitored by using pheromone lures revealed complicated patterns in Korea. Specifically, the first flight period was spread over a long period and irregular, while the second flight period differed among the localities examined.