(Z)-5-tetradecen-1-ol: A secondary pheromone of the yellowheaded spruce sawfly, and its relationship to (Z)-10-nonadecenal
The yellowheaded spruce sawfly,Pikonema alaskensis (Rohwer), was known to possess a potent secondary pheromone with the polarity of an alcohol, based on earlier studies with Florisil fractions. Purification of the 25% ether-hexane Florisil fraction (polarity as with alcohols) and the hydrolyzed 5% ether-hexane fraction (polarity as with esters) from 50,000 females yielded a total of ca 3μg of an active compound identified as (Z)-5-tetradecen-1-ol (Z5–14∶ OH). When added to 100 ng of (Z)-10-nonadecenal (Z10–19∶Al), which behaves as the primary pheromone in this sawfly, 0.5 ng of syntheticZ5–14∶ OH caused an 8.8-fold increase in the greenhouse bioassay response, compared toZ10–19∶Al alone.E5–14∶ OH caused a 2.8-fold increase. Only the combination ofZ5–14∶ OH andZ10–19∶ Al consistently elicited mating attempts among males. When Hercon® formulations ofZ5–14∶OH andZ10–19∶ Al were used together to bait traps, catches were up to four times higher than for theZ10–19∶ Al alone, but this increase was seen only after emergence and mating activity in the field population were virtually complete. TheZ5–14∶ OH was inactive alone, and at higher levels it depressed trap catches toZ10–19∶ Al. The Hercon formulations ofZ5–14∶ 0H andZ10–19∶Al together were as attractive as virgin females.Z10–19∶Al alone and the (Z,Z)-9,19 hydrocarbon dienes (found in all females and able to oxidize in air to produceZ10–19∶Al) were similar to mated females. ThusZ5–14∶:OH accounted for the difference in attractiveness between virgin and mated females.
Pheromone Components of the Wheat Stem Sawfly: Identification, Electrophysiology, and Field Bioassay
Volatiles collections and cuticular extracts of the wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), were analyzed by coupled gas chromatographic–electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) in order to detect possible pheromone components of this species. Volatiles collections from male and female sawflies contained the same 13 GC-EAD-active compounds that stimulated both male and female antennae. GC-EAD-active compounds were identified by mass spectrometry, and the identities were verified by acquiring or synthesizing authentic standards with identical GC retention times and mass spectra. 9-Acetyloxynonanal gave the strongest EAD response. Additional GC-EAD-active compounds included 13-acetyloxytridecanal, aldehydes with 9–16 carbon chain lengths, acids with 8–10 carbon chain lengths, and phenylacetic acid. The last was instantly detectable by human nose when several males were allowed to interact, but not from isolated insects. On a per-insect basis, grouped males overall released higher amounts of the GC-EAD-active compounds than grouped females. Notable quantitative differences between the sexes were relatively higher amounts of 9-acetyloxynonanal, phenylacetic acid, and tetradecanal from males and hexadecanal from females. In the absence of an absolute, qualitative difference between sexes, these relative differences might be important for sex recognition. Field bioassay demonstrated the attractiveness of 9-acetyloxynonanal for male and female C. cinctus. The major compounds of male and female cuticular extracts showed no GC-EAD activity, but ozonolysis of extracts gave dramatically increased amounts of GC-EAD-active material. Hence, double-bond-containing cuticular compounds are suggested as precursors of the aldehydic pheromone components.
Studies on the composition, quality and processing of triticale. Part II. Mineral composition of grain and flour.
Mineral composition of grain and flour in 14 promising triticale strains from India are reported. The mean values for whole grain, i.e. Ca (0.47 mg/g), P (2.70 mg/g), K 4.60 mg/g, Na (352 micrograms/g), Zn (41.6 micrograms/g), Cu (7.0 micrograms/g), Fe (73.4 micrograms/g) and Mn (33.6 micrograms/g) were obtained as compared to those of flour, i.e. Ca (0.27 mg/g), P (0.97 mg/g), K (1.64 mg/g), Na (231 micrograms/g), Zn (26 micrograms/g), Cu (4.0 micrograms/g) and Mn (10.5 micrograms/g), respectively. These values were found to be considerably higher than those of wheat. Highly significant positive correlations of ash with sodium and zinc in whole grain were observed. In the case of triticale flour, highly significant positive correlations of ash with manganese, phosphorus and potassium were obtained.