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Host conspecific infestation level guides the preference of Hypothenemus hampei for robusta coffee berry volatiles

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Abstract

The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, is the major insect pest of coffee crops worldwide. Coffee berry borer females use coffee berry volatiles during host-searching behaviour. Nonetheless, conspecific infestation is a factor that may affect coffee berry volatile profile and so the attraction of CBB females to coffee berries. In this study, we evaluated the attraction of CBB females to volatiles from healthy Coffea canephora berries and three different conspecific infestation levels in laboratory and field assays. We used solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify the volatile compounds in the effluvia of coffee berries. Overall, our laboratory bioassays showed that CBB females were more attracted to the volatiles emitted by healthy berries and those with early and medium infestation levels than to late-infested berries. The field assay showed that traps baited with healthy berries or berries with early infestations attracted more CBB females than those baited with berries with the late infestations. The chemical analyses showed that healthy berries emitted 21 compounds, with ethyl isovalerate, ∝-pinene camphene, β-pinene, and limonene in higher amounts. Berries with an early infestation emitted 22 compounds including methyl salicylate, trans-β-ocimene, and linalool as the major compounds. Berries with a medium infestation released 15 compounds with methyl salicylate, trans-β-ocimene, and an unknown monoterpenoid in higher amounts. Berries with late infestation emitted only six compounds with tetradecane, tridecane, and dodecanol as the major compounds. The results of this study showed that the conspecific infestation of robusta coffee berries affects CBB female attraction.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Finca La Alianza for all the facilities in this work. This study was supported by CONACYT through a graduate scholarship to W. R.-C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos Y Manejo de Plagas, Departamento de Agricultura, Sociedad Y Ambiente, El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto Km 2.5, CP 30700, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico

    Wilmar de la Rosa-Cancino & Julio C. Rojas

  2. Instituto de Biociencias, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Blvd. Príncipe Akishino S/N, Solidaridad 2000, CP 30798, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico

    David Alavez-Rosas

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  1. Wilmar de la Rosa-Cancino
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  2. David Alavez-Rosas
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Correspondence to Wilmar de la Rosa-Cancino.

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All procedures performed in studies involving insects were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or vertebrate animals performed by any of the authors.

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de la Rosa-Cancino, W., Alavez-Rosas, D. & Rojas, J.C. Host conspecific infestation level guides the preference of Hypothenemus hampei for robusta coffee berry volatiles. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 15, 573–582 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09845-1

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