Popis: |
Steam distilled volatiles from flower buds of white clover, Trifolium repens, attracted significantly greater numbers of female clover head weevils, Hypera meles, than males, in laboratory bioassays. Persian clover, T. resupinatum, bud extract, which attracted significantly more females than either small hop clover, T. dubium or red clover, T. pratense, also displayed qualitative and quantitative differences in the gas chromatographic profile of its bud volatiles. The strong attraction of normal females to Persian clover in laboratory bioassays was abolished by antennectomy, suggesting that attraction is regulated by olfactory receptors located on weevil antennal clubs. Weevils demonstrated a similar attraction to Persian clover in the field, indicating the possibility of developing a lure made from the flower bud extract of this clover to trap weevils for control or population monitoring purposes. |