A floral scent composition attractive to corn earworm and uses thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of pest attractant, in particular to a kind of corn borer adult food attractant.The food attractant is developed based on the corn borer flower visiting behavior, and is composed of three components of phenylethanol, phenylacetaldehyde and rosinene, the main components of Asclepiad flower fragrance, which has significant corn borer attracting effect in field, and can effectively attract both male and female adults at the same time, to achieve the purpose of population monitoring or centralized control.The present application does not directly contact crops, has the advantages of high efficiency, non-toxic and non-residue, and does not kill natural enemies, etc., and is an environmentally friendly green control new technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of biological control technology, and in particular relates to corn borer attractants and their preparation methods. Background Technology

[0002] The corn borer, also known as the corn stem borer, belongs to the family Pyralidae in the order Lepidoptera. This insect is widespread in my country and is a major borer that causes serious damage to corn. In addition, the corn borer also damages a variety of other plants such as sorghum, millet, cotton, wheat, barley, potatoes, beans, sunflowers, sugarcane, sugar beets, eggplants, and tomatoes.

[0003] In my country, the control of corn borers mainly relies on chemical pesticides, which easily leads to pesticide residues and pollution. Currently, there are reports of releasing Trichogramma wasps and spraying Beauveria bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis to control corn borers. However, these methods have drawbacks such as high technical requirements, significant susceptibility to environmental conditions, and slow insecticidal speed. Therefore, there is still a need to develop efficient and environmentally friendly corn borer control technologies. Numerous studies have shown that adult corn borers need to feed on nectar to supplement their nutrition and promote the development of ovaries and other tissues. Field surveys have found that adult corn borers often feed on milkweed nectar at night, suggesting that milkweed flowers contain aromatic components that attract corn borers. Developing corn borer attractants based on these aromatic components would be an important supplement to integrated corn borer control.

[0004] Pest attractants are artificially synthesized and formulated biological traps that mimic plant odors. They are often composed of a combination of various plant volatiles and work by attracting and killing adult insects in the field to control pests. Pest attractant technology is highly targeted, has considerable control effects, is environmentally friendly, and avoids the large-scale use of chemical pesticides. Therefore, it has important application prospects in the green control of corn borers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention proposes a corn borer attractant and its preparation method to develop green control technology for corn borers.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the corn borer attractant provided by the present invention is composed of the following three components in the following weight percentages:

[0007] Phenylacetyl alcohol 10-35%,

[0008] Benzaldehyde 60-85%,

[0009] 5-30% ocimene

[0010] Furthermore, the sum of the weight percentages of the three components is 100%.

[0011] Most preferably, the corn borer attractant is composed of the following components in their respective weight percentages:

[0012] 20% phenylethanol

[0013] 70% phenylacetaldehyde

[0014] 10% ocimene

[0015] Furthermore, the sum of the weight percentages of the three components is 100%.

[0016] Furthermore, a method for preparing a corn borer bait core is provided, using a polyethylene bottle as a slow-release carrier, adding the aforementioned attractant into it, and then sealing the bottle to form the bait core. When trapping corn borers in the field, the bait core is placed on a corresponding trap, and the trap is suspended in the cornfield using a bamboo pole; the trap is a barrel-shaped trap.

[0017] The corn borer attractant provided by this invention has a significant attraction effect on both female and male adult corn borers. It can be used for corn borer population monitoring or directly for large-scale trapping and killing of corn borers. This invention requires a small dosage, has a significant trapping effect, does not directly contact crops, and can significantly reduce the damage of corn borers to corn. It is an environmentally friendly green control technology. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Based on the corn borer's preference for nectar, we collected, analyzed, and identified three aromatic components from milkweed flowers that could induce significant electrophysiological activity and attraction in the corn borer. Furthermore, through repeated field trials, we finally obtained a corn borer attractant composition with significant attraction effects.

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific experiments.

[0020] The trapping experiment used corn borer bait cores. As mentioned earlier, polyethylene bottles were used as slow-release carriers, and three bait ingredients in different doses and proportions were added to make the bait cores. After sealing, the cores were used directly. In field application, the corn borer bait cores were fixed to the traps, and the bait was slowly released through the walls of the polyethylene bottles to lure and kill the corn borers.

[0021] The trapping experiment was conducted from August 9 to September 6, 2022, in Xinancheng Village, Yaocun Town, Dingxing County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. A contiguous cornfield with uniform growth and consistent management was selected as the experimental area. Barrel-shaped traps and lures were used to trap corn borers. Three replicates of each lure were set up, with a minimum spacing of 20 meters between traps. Empty polyethylene bottles without any pesticides were used as a control. Surveys began on the 7th day after setup, and the number of adult corn borers in the traps was recorded every week, separately for males and females.

[0022] The field trapping effect of the example is as follows:

[0023] Table 1. Field trapping effect of corn borer attractants

[0024]

[0025]

[0026] Note: A: Phenylacetyl alcohol; B: Phenylacetaldehyde; C: Osimerne. The data in the table are the average weekly trapping count ± SD for each trap.

[0027] Experimental results show that the attractant described in this invention is effective in trapping corn borers. Phenylephrine, phenylacetaldehyde, and ocimene, as individual components, can all attract a certain number of male and female corn borers, with phenylacetaldehyde showing the best attraction; the mixture of the three aroma components has an even better attraction effect. The optimal mass percentage ratio of phenylacetaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, and ocimene for trapping corn borers is 2:7:1.

[0028] As can be seen from the above, the bait attractant described in this invention can effectively trap and kill corn borers. On the one hand, it can be used to monitor the dynamics of corn borer populations in the field; on the other hand, it can reduce the direct damage caused by suppressing the initial corn borer population, which is of great significance for integrated corn borer control. This corn borer bait attractant has the advantages of low dosage, non-toxicity to humans and animals, and no development of resistance; moreover, it can simultaneously trap and kill both male and female adults, and the control effect can last for more than 4 weeks. Therefore, using the above-mentioned corn borer bait attractant composition can reduce the amount of chemical pesticides used, which is beneficial for protecting natural enemies and the environment, resulting in significant social and ecological benefits.

[0029] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A corn earworm feeding deterrent composition characterized by: The composition is composed of phenylethanol, phenylacetaldehyde and ocimene, and the weight percentage of each component is 10-35%, 60-85% and 5-30% respectively, and the sum of the weight percentage of the three components is 100%.

2. The corn borer feeding deterrent composition of claim 1, wherein The ratio of the phenylethanol, phenylacetaldehyde and ocimene is 2:7:

1.

3. The method of using a corn earworm feeding deterrent composition according to claim 2, wherein The food attractant composition of claim 2 is added to the lure core of the trap in an amount of 240-360 mg.

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