AGGREGATION PHEROMONE OF PALM WEEVIL, DYNAMIS-BORASSI

4-Methyl-5-nonanol (1) is the male-produced aggregation pheromone of t he palm weevil, Dynamis borassi (F.) from Colombia. The pheromone was identified by coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detect ion (GC-EAD) analysis of male-and female-produced volatiles, and compa rative GC-mass spectrometry (MS) of weevil-produced 1. In field experi ments in Colombia, traps baited with a stereoisomeric mixture of synth etic 1 (3 mg/day) plus sugarcane captured more weevils than traps bait ed with 1 or sugarcane alone, suggesting that pheromone and plant vola tiles are synergistically attractive. Use of a chiral, stereoisomer-se parating Cyclodex-B column in GC-EAD and GC-MS analyses revealed that D. borassi males produce, and antennae of males and females respond to (4S,5S)-1. Previously identified palm weevil (Rhynchophorus spp.) agg regation pheromones 5-methyl-4-octanol (cruentol) and 6-methyl-2-hepte n-4-ol (rhynchophorol) also elicited antennal responses by D. borassi. In field experiments, D. borassi females were captured equally well i n traps baited with sugarcane plus either I, cruentol or rhynchophorol . In contrast. D. borassi males were captured most often in traps bait ed with sugarcane plus I, Because D. borassi is a potential vector of the red ring nematode that causes the lethal red ring disease of palms , pheromone-based trapping of D. borassi could aid in monitoring or ma nagement of red ring disease in commercial palm plantations.