Response of Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) to Brassica extracts
Joni Kumar and Bishwajeet Paul
Plant volatiles are known to play very important in host finding for insect pests. These bioactive volatiles evoke EAGs responses in insect antennae. The antennal sensitivity of Pieris brassicae was recorded against volatiles of Brassica species by electroantennogram technique. A dose-dependent response was found to each extracts or and maximum EAG response was elicited by 1% concentration. The adult had a strong sensitivity to Brassica carinata (0.88 mV) and B. juncea (0.79 mV) than other species. However, no significant difference was found among the response evoked by Brassica species in the antennae of butter fly (Tukey’s test, p<0.01). The results of present study suggest the antennal sensitivity of P. brassicae to a range of concentrations of each species. Further research is needed to investigate effects of these compounds on natural enemies of P. brassicae.