Pheromones male Oriental fruit moth

It was initially thought that, in insects, the major component in a pheromone blend attracted from the longest distance, while the minor components came into play at shorter distances from an odor source such as a calling female. However, the male Oriental fruit moth, GraphoUta molesta, at least, responds from longer distances (100 m) more to the full female pheromone blend of three compounds than to the major component (Linn et ah, 1987). Similar tests have not been performed with vertebrates. 

Carde, R. T Baker, T. C. and Roelofs, W.L. (1976). Sex attractant responses of male oriental fruit moths to a range of component ratios pheromone polymorphism Experientia 32 1406-1407. 

Ethyl cinnamate (one of the constituents of the sex pheromone of the male oriental fruit moth)... 

Baker T. C. and Haynes K. F. (1987) Maneuvers used by flying male oriental fruit moths to relocate a sex pheromone plume in an experimentally shifted wind-field. Physiol. Entomol. 12, 263-279. 

T.C. Baker and K.F. Haynes, Pheromone-mediated optomotor anemotaxis and altitude control exhibited by male oriental fruit moths in the field. Physiological Entomology 21 (1996) 20-32. 

Valeur, RG. Lofstedt, C. 1996. Behavior of male oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, in overlapping sex pheromone plumes in a wind tunnel. EntomoL Exp. Appl. 79 51—59. 

Methyl Jasmonate is a pheromone produced by the male oriental fruit moth (Staswick, 1992). 

Nishida, R., T.C. Baker, and W.L. Roelofs Hairpencil Pheromone Components of Male Oriental Fruit Moths, Grapholitha molesta. J. Chem. Ecol. 8, 947 (1982). 

The ability of male moths to perceive mixtures of geometric isomers with extraordinary acuity was further documented in an investigation of the responses of males of the redbanded leaf-roller and two populations of the European cornborer to isomers of 11-tetradecenyl acetate (21). Redbanded leafroller males were essentially unresponsive to pure preparations of their reported sex pheromone, (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, but were strongly attracted to lures containing up to 8% of the (E)-isomer. Similarly, European cornborer males from Iowa responded maximally when 4% of the (E)-isomer was added to the (Z)-isomer, whereas the New York population was attracted to an isomeric mixture containing about 4% of the (Z )-isomer. Enhanced attraction by a small proportion of the opposite geometric isomer was also demonstrated with males of the oriental fruit moth,... 

At present the majority of pheromones used are those involving control and monitoring of Lepidoptera such as pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella, the oriental fruit moth Grapholita molesta and the tomato pinworm Keiferia lycopersicella. The advantage of a sex pheromone used against these species is that often there is quite an extensive range over which the pheromone can be effective. However, on the downside is the fact that only males are trapped. This means that it is... 

Baker, T. C. and Carde, R. T. (1979) Analysis of pheromone-mediated behaviors in male Grapholitha molesta, the Oriental fruit moth (Lepidoptera Tortricidae). Env, Ent, 8, 956-68. 

Baker, T. C. and Roelofs, W. L. (1981) Initiation and termination of Oriental fruit moth male response to pheromone concentration in the field. Env, Ent., 10, 211-18. 

Scientists are interested in synthesizing pheromones to use as nontoxic alternatives to pesticides. When placed in a trap, bombykol can be used to capture male silkworm moths. When a synthetic pheromone is released in a field, the males cannot locate the females, which disrupts the reproductive cycle. This technique has been successful with controlling the oriental fruit moth, the grapevine moth, and the pink bollworm. 

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