Abstract
The macadamia nut borer moth Gymnandrosoma aurantianum, is the main pest of macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia) in Central America. This study investigates the effect of the host (M. integrifolia) on attraction of G. aurantianum to its sex pheromone. Y-Tube bioassays showed that females G. aurantianum were attracted to volatiles from M. integrifolia leaves and flowers, while males responded to volatiles from flowers. Both sexes had significantly different electroantennographic responses (EAG) to the extracts of volatiles from flowers, fruits and leaves and (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate (main component of the sex pheromone of G. aurantianum). Females G. aurantianum exhibited electroantennographic responses by CG-EAD to phenylacetaldehyde, (1Z)-3-methylbutanal oxime and (E)-β-ocimene, while the males showed antennal activity in response to phenylacetaldehyde, (1E)-3-methylbutanal oxime, (1Z)-3-methylbutanal oxime, present in the extracts of M. integrifolia. The EAG dose-response with ocimene (mix of isomers) showed that female antennal activity increases as the dose increases, while with males, the highest dose elicited a response that was significantly different from the control. In field tests, the mixture (ocimene/(E)-8-dodecenyl acetate) with the proportion of 10:1 was the treatment that captured the highest number of males and females. Also, we observed that the lowest number of male captures was obtained with the proportion of 1:1, compared to the traps baited with only (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate. These results suggest that the binary mixture of ocimene plus (E)-8-dodecenyl acetate in a proportion of 10:1 could be an option for monitoring this pest because we obtained captures of both sexes.