Pea odorants guide host finding behaviour in pea moth: a new strategy for sustainable insect management

豌豆小蛾Cydia nigricana(鳞翅目：卷蛾科)是豌豆的主要害虫。由于可用于有效防治的杀虫剂很少，因此需要开发环境安全的虫害防治技术。最初的研究表明，黑斑潜蝇的季节飞行周期与豌豆的物候有很强的相关性。本研究拟对豌豆植株和豌豆蛾之间的嗅觉空间进行研究，旨在识别豌豆蛾雌成虫体内编码寄主识别和寄主寻找的挥发性线索，以及这些化合物在豌豆蛾安全管理中的实际应用。将调查昆虫和植物之间在寻找寄主、交配和产卵方面的交流。识别行为活跃的寄主植物信号将有助于开发一种有效的直接控制豌豆蛾的方法。此外，还将研究豌豆植株挥发性物质释放的时间和生理变化特征，以评估豌豆对昆虫食草动物的抗性育种潜力。预期的成果是改善豌豆蛾与其寄主植物之间的化学交流知识，以及对豌豆次生代谢物的生物化学与豌豆蛾生物学和生态学之间的联系的见解。将评估豌豆植株挥发物用于直接和间接防治豌豆蛾的潜在用途。

The pea moth Cydia nigricana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is the key pest of pea Pisum sativum. Environmentally safe pest control techniques need to be developed since few insecticides are available for efficient control. First studies demonstrate a strong correlation between the seasonal flight period of C. nigricana and the phenology of pea. We propose to study the olfactory space between pea plant and pea moth, aiming at the identification of the volatile cues that encode host recognition and host finding in pea moth females, and the practical use of these compounds for safe management of pea moth. Communication between insect and plant regarding host finding, mating and egg laying will be investigated. The identification of behaviourally active host plant signals will enable the development of an effective method for direct pea moth control. In addition, the characterisation of temporal and physiological variation in pea plant volatile emission will be studied to evaluate the potential of breeding pea for resistance to insect herbivores. The expected output is improved knowledge of chemical communication between the pea moth and its host plant, as well as insights into the linkage between the biochemistry of the pea secondary metabolites and pea moth biology and ecology. The potential use of pea plant volatiles for direct and indirect pea moth management will be evaluated.