Kehat, M., Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel
Dunkelblum, E., Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

Six compounds were identified from gland extracts of the cotton bollworm, Heliothis armigera (Hubner): (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald), (Z)-9-hexa-decenal (Z9-16:Ald), hexadecanal, (Z)-11-hexadecenol (Z11-16:OH), (Z)-7-hexadecenal (Z7-16:Ald), and (Z)-9-tetradecenal (Z9-14:Ald). Each of the compounds that were identified was examined for its ability to elicit sexual responses from male moths in a flight tunnel. Males flew upwind to Z11-16:Ald alone, but greater levels of copulatory responses were evoked with the addition of 2.5% Z9-16:Ald to the Z11-16:Ald. Addition of hexadecanal to the binary mixture had no effect in raising the behavioral response of the males in the flight tunnel. The effect of Z7-16:Ald on male flight depended on the loading. The addition of 1% of this component to 2 mg of the binary mixture reduced levels of copulatory response, but the same addition (1 %) to 10 μg of the binary mixture increased copulatory response. The addition of 79-14:Ald or Z11-16:OH to the binary mixture reduced behavioral responses of males. High loadings of the binary mixture (200-2000 μg) were better than a low loading (10 μg) in eliciting response of males. © 1990 Plenum Publishing Corporation.