Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of pea weevil Bruchus pisorum L. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) to volatiles collected from its host Pisum sativum L.

The pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is one of the most damaging pests of pea (Pisum sativum L.) We investigated the role of pea volatiles on the electrophysiological and behavioral response of B. pisorum using electroantennography (EAG) and olfactometry bioassays. Plant volatiles emitted at different phenological stages were collected in situ by headspace on Porapak Q traps and analyzed through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Most abundant volatiles identified in all phenological stages were terpenes and green leaf volatiles. All tested volatile extracts elicited significant EAG responses in both male and female B. pisorum, with females exhibiting a greater response (1.35 mV) than males (1.02 mV) to pea-pod volatiles. Volatiles from each phenological stage stimulated an attractant behavioral response of both males and females B. pisorum in olfactometer bioassay. A larger attraction of B. pisorum females was observed to volatiles from pods over other phenological stages (P < 0.001). These results suggest the relative importance of volatiles cues from plant mediating host location by B. pisorum. This work showed that plant volatiles elicited electrophysiological and behavioral responses and that B. pisorum female can discern between phenological stages of P. sativum based on those chemical cues.