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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319566
Title: Volatile chemicals associated with host plants of the strawberry rootworm

Author
item Werle, Christopher
item Sampson, Blair
item Bland, John

Submitted to: Southern Nursery Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2012
Publication Date: 7/3/2012
Citation: Werle, C.T., Sampson, B.J., Bland, J.M. 2012. Volatile chemicals associated with host plants of the strawberry rootworm. Southern Nursery Association Proceedings. 57:111-116.

Interpretive Summary: The strawberry rootworm (SRW), hinders profitable production of azaleas and other containerized ornamental crops at nurseries throughout the Southeast. Properly timed early-season insecticide applications are critical to reducing potentially devastating late-season outbreaks, but this is dependent on an effective monitoring program. By determining which volatiles were present in six known or suspected plant hosts of the SRW, we have discovered some potentially effective additions for a kairomone lure.

Technical Abstract: The strawberry rootworm (SRW), Paria fragariae Wilcox (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), hinders profitable production of azaleas and other containerized ornamental crops at nurseries throughout the Southeast. Properly timed early-season insecticide applications are critical to reducing potentially devastating late-season outbreaks, but this is dependent on an effective monitoring program. Many insect monitoring programs make use of kairomone lures. We determined which volatiles were present in six known or suspected plant hosts for the SRW using solid-phase micro extraction (SPME). While caryophyllene was only collected from azalea, other volatiles (ocimene, hexanol and hexanyl acetate) were present in all four of the preferred host plants (azalea, Itea, Fragaria and Loropetalum). This information will be useful in developing lab and field tests to determine if any of these volatiles can be used in a kairomone lure for the SRW.