Long-chain free fatty acids: Semiochemicals for host location by western corn rootworm larvae.

A bioassay-driven sequential fractionation scheme was used to isolate fractions of a crude dichloromethane maize seedling extract behaviorally active to larvae of the western corn rootworm,Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte. (Z,Z)-9,12-Octadecadienoic (linoleic) acid, (Z)-9-octadecenoic (oleic) acid, and octadecanoic (stearic) acid were identified from a purified fraction of maize extract that was attractive to western corn rootworm larvae in choice tests with equal levels of carbon dioxide on both sides of the choice. When synthetic linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids were tested together in the amounts and proportions found in the attractive fraction (1000, 800, and 300 ng of linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids, respectively), significantly more western corn rootworm larvae were found on the side with synthetic free fatty acids plus carbon dioxide than on the side with carbon dioxide alone. Results of the choice-test bioassays were not significantly different when the synthetic blend of free fatty acids was substituted for the purified maize fraction. Neither the purified extract nor the synthetic blend was behaviorally active in preliminary single-choice experiments without carbon dioxide. Linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids were also tested individually in the choice test bioassay with carbon dioxide on both sides of the choice to determine a dose-response curve. Linoleic and oleic acid each had one dose that was significantly attractive in conjunction with carbon dioxide on both sides of the choice, but stearic acid was not active in the doses tested.