Guatemalan potato moth Tecia solanivora distinguish odour profiles from qualitatively different potatoes Solanum tuberosum L.

► Oviposition preference supports insect herbivores preference performance hypothesis. ► Potato metabolites affect larval survival. ► Oviposition avoidance by Tecia solanivora towards stressed potato tubers. ► Larval survival is negatively correlated with α-solanine and α-chaconine. ► Qualitatively different potatoes emit different volatile chemical composition.