Field Evaluation of a Synthetic Sex Pheromone, "Litlure", as an Attractant for Males of Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

Abstract

A synthetic female sex attractant pheromone of Spodoptera litura (F.), a mixture of cis-9, trans-11-tetradecadienyl acetate (component A) and cis-9, trans-12-tetradecadienyl acetate (component B), for which the name "litlure" was proposed, was evaluated in the field. Attractiveness of "litlure" for male moths changed with the ratio of the components. The optimum ratio of components A and B ranged from 8 : 2 to 39 : 1. A trap baited with 1 mg "litlure" (A : B=10 : 1) was nearly equivalent to a trap baited with 10 virgin females of 2-day-old for two months. Neither cis- nor trans-isomers of 9- and 11-tetradecenyl acetates had synergistic effect on "litlure" or its components.