Identification of female sex pheromone components of rice looper,Plusia festucae (L.), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The rice looper,Plusia festucae, is a defoliator of the rice plant. Chromatographic behavior, chemical reactions, and GC-MS analyses of the female sex pheromone revealed that the main component was (Z)-5-dodecenyl acetate (Z5-12: OAc, component I). The GC-MS analysis also indicated that the pheromone gland extract included another three monounsaturated components, (Z)-5-dodecen-l-ol (Z5-12: OH, component II), (Z)-7-tetradecenyl acetate (Z7-14: OAc, component III), and (Z)-7-tetradecen-l-ol (Z7-14: OH, component IV) in the following ratio: I:II:III:IV=100:6:15:1. In a paddy field, the mixture of synthetic I, II, and III in a ratio of 100:6:15 showed stronger attractancy than the virgin female, while the role of IV was unknown.