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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Chemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #244157
Title: From release to absorption: Elucidating the effects of a desert locust pheromone

Author
item TORTO, B - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item NJAGI, P - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item MUTYAMBAI, D - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item MUGAMBI, A - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item Teal, Peter

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2007
Publication Date: 7/19/2008
Citation: Torto, B., Njagi, P., Mutyambai, D., Mugambi, A., Teal, P.E. 2008. From release to absorption: Elucidating the effects of a desert locust pheromone. In: Morris, S., Vosloo, A., editors. 4th CPB Meeting in Africa: MARA 2008 Molecules to Migration: The Pressures of Life, July 19-25, 2008, Kenya. p.157-163.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We used a glass-vial bioassay to test the contact effect of the desert locust pheromone phenylacetonitrile (PAN) on nymphs and adults after 2 hand 4 h respectively, and quantified the amount of the pheromone absorbed and released by the nymphs after 2 h and 12 h. We also monitored the knockdown effect and mortality in treated locusts. In general, the knockdown effect in PAN-treated locusts was dose-dependent and stagespecific,In nymphs, the knockdown effect was higher in 3rd than in 4th instars and this difference was maintained in the analysis of the survival rate of the different instars after 12 h, Immature adults were more tolerant to the pheromone than mature adults, and sexually mature females were more tolerant to the pheromone than males, After 10 h post-treatment, PAN-treated nymphs absorbed 13.0 -33.0 ug/locust /h / and released the pheromone at a rate ranging between 20 and 130 ng/nymph /h/over the dose range tested, This study contributes to the knowledge of the use of PAN as a potential preventive management tool for the desert locust.