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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Crop Bioprotection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #38813
Title: INSECT AGGREGATION PHEROMONE RESPONSE SYNERGIZED BY "HOST-TYPE" VOLATILES: MOLECULAR MODELING EVIDENCE FOR CLOSE PROXIMITY BINDING OF PHEROMONE AND COATTRACTANT IN CARPOPHILUS HEMIPTERUS (L.) (COLEOPTERA: NITIDULIDAE)

Author
item Petroski, Richard

Submitted to: Chemical Society Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/20/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The driedfruit beetle, Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) attacks a large number of agricultural commodities such as fruits and grains in the field, during storage after harvest, or in transport. Attractiveness of the male produced aggregation pheromone is enhanced in the presence of host plant volatiles. Using computational chemistry, we discovered that the shape of the pheromone recognition site changes in the presence of host-type volatiles. This discovery shows the promise of computational chemistry in acquiring key information required for the rational development of species-specific insect control agents.

Technical Abstract: The driedfruit beetle, Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) is a worldwide pest of a variety of fruits and grains, both before and after harvest. Attractive- ness of the male-produced aggregation pheromone is enhanced by the presence of a "host-type" volatile coattractant. A set of 26 compounds was used to explore relationships between pheromone structure and activity by 3D-QSAR/CoMFA methods. Significant differences in aggregation pheromone CoMFA-coefficient contour maps were observed in the presence and absence of the "host-type" volatile coattractant.