EFFECT OF TERPENOIDS AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS ON THE OVIPOSITION BEHAVIOR OF THE EUROPEAN CORN-BORER, OSTRINIA-NUBILALIS (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE)

Twenty-eight volatile plant compounds and related analogs were evaluat ed in separate laboratory assays for mediation of oviposition behavior s of the female European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. The compounds were acyclic and cyclic monoterpenes or sesquiterpenes or related com pounds and possessed different functional groups, chain lengths, and m olecular weights. The compounds varied in their effect on O. nubilalis oviposition behaviors, ranging from deterrents to stimulants. Cyclic sesquiterpenes generally stimulated oviposition by O. nubilalis, but s everal acyclic sesquiterpenes deterred oviposition. Individual compoun ds also may be used as cues for host finding by adult O. nubilalis. Th e compounds described in this study may serve as a guide for the creat ive design of safe, environmentally compatible control methods for the European corn borer, a destructive pest of many agricultural crops.