Isolation and identification of cotton synomones mediating searching behavior by parasitoidCampoletis sonorensis

Abstract

In laboratory bioassays, the parasitoidCampoletis sonorensis was attracted to the following sesquiterpenes isolated from cotton essential oil: α-humulene, γ-bisabolene, β-caryophyllene oxide, spathulenol, β-bisabolol, and a new, naturally occurring bisabolene-related alcohol, (2-p-tolyl-6-methylhept-5-en-2-ol) which we name gossonorol. This is the first report of spathulenol in cotton. β-Caryophyllene, a major component of cotton, was not attractive to the parasitoids. The response of the parasitoids to these compounds and the possibility of augmenting parasitoid activity in the field by manipulating plant secondary metabolites is discussed.