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Abstract

Gravid culicine mosquitoes rely on olfactory cues for selecting breeding sites containing organic detritus. While this capacity of the mosquitoes is used for surveillance and control, the current methodology is unwieldy, unreliable and expensive in time and labour. This study evaluated the dose-dependent attraction and oviposition response of gravid Culex quinquefasciatus to alfalfa infusions. Through combined chemical and electrophysiological analyses, bioactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the headspace of alfalfa infusions, eliciting attraction, were identified. While phenolic and indolic compounds were the most abundant bioactive VOCs, additional VOCs, including a monoterpene, were required to elicit a significant behavioural response to the synthetic odour blend of alfalfa infusions. Comparative analysis with the commercially available mosquito oviposition pheromone (MOP) was also conducted demonstrating that this standardised synthetic alfalfa infusion odour blend offers a promising lure for targeted surveillance and control of Culex mosquitoes, which may contribute to disease prevention and public health protection.

Keywords

Alfalfa infusion; Culex quinquefasciatus; Olfaction; Attractants; Stimulants; Volatile organic compounds

Published in

Journal of Chemical Ecology
2024, volume: 50, number: 9-10, pages: 419-429
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-024-01528-4

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/142329