Olfactory Response of Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to Volatiles Emitted by Mungbean Plants

Intercropping maize with the prostrate variety of mungbean, Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek which grows flat along the ground can increase parasitism of the eggs of the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), a crucial insect pest of maize in China, by Trichogramma ostriniae Pang & Chen. This study investigated the behavioural responses of T. ostriniae to plant volatiles emitted from whole plants, leaves, and flowers of prostrate and erect varieties of mungbean in a 4-armed olfactometer. Female parasitiods were significantly attracted to the odours from some varieties of prostrate mungbean when the visit duration and the number of visits were considered, but were not attracted to the odours from any erect varieties. The attractive odours were shown to emanate from the leaves, rather than from the flowers of prostrate mungbean plants. These results have implications for the augmentation of Trichogramma parasitoids in bio-control of O. furnacalis and other crop pests.