International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology ( icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi 00100 , Kenya.
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology , P.O. Box 62000-00200, Nairobi 00200 , Kenya.
J Agric Food Chem. 2018 Aug 15;66(32):8504-8513. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03452. Epub 2018 Jul 31.
The main hosts of the melon fly Zeugodacus cucurbitate are cultivated and wild cucurbitaceous plants. In eastern Africa, the melon fly is a major pest of the Solanaceae plant Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). We hypothesized that shared species-specific volatiles may play a role in host attraction. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the olfactory responses of the melon fly to Cucumis sativus (cucumber) (Cucurbitaceae) and tomato plant odors in behavioral and electrophysiological assays, followed by chemical analysis to identify the key compounds mediating the interactions. Our results identified 13 shared components between cucumber and tomato plant odors. A synthetic blend of seven of the shared components dominated by monoterpenes at concentrations mimicking the volatile bouquet of cucumber and tomato attracted both sexes of the melon fly. Our results suggest that the presence and quantity of specific compounds in host odors are the main predictors for host recognition in Z. cucurbitate.
瓜实蝇的主要宿主是栽培和野生葫芦科植物。在东非，瓜实蝇是茄科植物番茄（西红柿）的主要害虫。我们假设共享的种特异性挥发物可能在宿主吸引中起作用。我们通过比较瓜实蝇对黄瓜（葫芦科）和番茄植物气味的行为和电生理反应来测试这一假设，然后进行化学分析以确定介导相互作用的关键化合物。我们的结果确定了黄瓜和番茄植物气味之间的 13 个共享成分。以单萜为主的七种共享成分的合成混合物，其浓度模拟了黄瓜和番茄的挥发性气味，吸引了瓜实蝇的雌雄两性。我们的结果表明，在宿主气味中特定化合物的存在和数量是 Z. cucurbitate 宿主识别的主要预测因子。
