Effects of sublethal deltamethrin on the chemical communication system and PBAN activity of Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Güenee).

Topically applied sublethal doses of deltamethrin may interrupt chemical communication between the two sexes of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Güenee), by affecting the probability of calling behavior, sex pheromone titer and PBAN-like activity. At the 1st, 2nd, and 4th day of post-treatment with deltamethrin (1 ng/moth), female O. furnacalis showed 32, 36, and 46% calling probabilities of control female moths, while the sex pheromone titer of females was only 15, 20, and 25% the amount of control females, respectively. The chemical communication system was significantly affected even at the 4th day post-treatment. By injections of 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 female equivalent of brain and subesophageol ganglion homogenate of 1 ng deltamethrin-treated females into decapitated females, female pheromone production was reduced to 64, 31, 30.7, and 8.1% of that of control female moths, respectively. This result appears to indicate that sublethal deltamethrin affected the activity of the PBAN-like factor of O. furnacalis.