BACKGROUND The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most aggressive and invasive species in the world. The trail pheromone Z,E-α-farnesene (91% purity) was prepared, and disruption of worker trail orientation was tested using an ethanol-based aerosol formulation presenting a single puff of this compound by airbrush and compressed air. Trail-following behaviour was recorded by overhead we...

The effectiveness of initial low oxygen stress (ILOS) to control apple scald without postharvest application of scald inhibitors and fungicides was investigated. Scald susceptible (‘Granny Smith’, ‘Law Rome’, ‘Red Delicious’) and not susceptible (‘Idared’) fruits were harvested preclimacterically and treated at 1°C with (1) ILOS pretreatment or (2) no pretreatment as control. Fruit were then st...

Insects trigger plants to release volatile compounds that mediate the interaction with both pest and beneficial insects. Soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) induces soybean (Glycine max) leaves to produce volatiles that attract predators of the aphid. In this research, we describe the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for extraction of volatiles from A. glycines-infested plant. Objectives w...

In response to insect feeding on the leaves, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants release elevated levels of volatiles, which can serve as a chemical signal that attracts natural enemies of the herbivore to the damaged plant. Pulse-labeling experiments with [13C]CO2 demonstrated that many of the volatiles released, including the acyclic terpenes (E,E)-[alpha]-farnesene, (E)-[beta]-farnesene, (...

The aim of this experiment was to analyze the leaf volatiles of crabapple (Malus sp.) individuals at different aphid’s resistance, to ascertain the particular ingredients which has lure or aversion effects on aphid, and to provide reference for finding out a simple method to control effectively aphids. Volatiles of leaves from twenty-one different crabapple individuals were evaluated with the m...

In this paper we report on the large induction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from a single leaf of the mossy sorrel, Rumex confertus Willd. (Polygonaceae), by herbivory of the red dock weevil (Apion miniatum Germ., Coleoptera: Apionidae). VOC blends induced by the red dock weevil herbivory included 5 green leaf volatiles (GLVs) ((Z)-3-hexenal, (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenol, (E)-2-hexenol,...

Tetranychus urticae is considered one of the main plagues in the world. Its occurrence in Pernambuco was registered for the first time in 1985 and it has caused considerable damage to the farmers, attacking different cultures of agricultural interest. The essential oils from different parts of Vitex agnus-castus harvested in the Atlantic forest in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, were obtained ...

Zornia brasiliensis, popularly known as "urinária", "urinana", and "carrapicho", is a medicinal plant used in Brazilian northeast folk medicine as a diuretic and against venereal diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antitumor potential of the leaf essential oil of Z. brasiliensis. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-ty...

This study was aimed at identifying sex pheromones of the rat (Rattus norvegicus). We characterized the volatiles and semivolatiles of rat preputial gland and voided urine by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified them by their GC areas (abundances) and percentage of GC areas (relative abundances). Although all the compounds other than 4-heptanone and phenol detected ...

The importance of chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) inflorescence is widely known in classical and folk medicine, with the largest group its effective constituents forming essential oil (chamazulene, a-bisabolol, α-farnesene, trans-β-farnesene, spathulenol, cis/trans-en-in-dicycloethers). Among cultivated species, Hungarian BK-2 contains more chamazulene than German Degumil type, which mainly for...