Cardenolide content and thin-layer chromatography profiles of monarch butterflies,Danaus plexippus L., and their larval host-plant milkweed,Asclepias asperula subsp.Capricornu (woods.) woods., in north central Texas

This paper is the second in a series on cardenolide fingerprinting of monarch butterflies and their host-plant milkweeds in the eastern United States. Spectrophotometric determinations of the gross cardenolide content ofAsclepias asperula plants in north central Texas indicated wide variation ranging from 341 to 1616 g/0.1 g dry weight. The mean plant cardenolide concentration (886 g/0.1 g) is the highest for any milkweed species on which monarch cardenolide profiles have been produced. Forty-one butterflies reared individually on these plants contained a skewed distribution of cardenolide concentrations ranging from 231 to 515 g/0. 1 g dry weight with a mean of 363g/0.1 g. The uptake of cardenolide by the butterflies was independent of plant concentration, suggesting that saturation occurs in cardenolide sequestration by monarchs when feeding on cardenolide-rich host-plants. Female monarchs contained significantly greater mean cardenolide concentrations (339 g/0.1 g) than did males (320 g/0.1 g). The mean dry weight of the male butterflies (0.211 g) was significantly greater than the female mean (0.191) so that the mean total cardenolide contents of males (675 fig) and females (754 g) were not significantly different. Butterfly size was not significantly correlated to butterfly cardenolide concentration when differences due to sex and individual host-plant concentration were removed. Thin-layer chrornatograms of 24 individual plant-butterfly pairs developed in two solvent systems resolved 22 individual spots in the plants and 15 in the butterflies.A. asperula plants appear to contain several relatively nonpolar cardenolides of the calotropagenin series which are metabolized to more polar derivatives in the butterflies. Quantitative evaluation of theR _f values, spot intensities, and probabilities of occurrence in the chloroform-methanol-formamide TLC system produced a cardenolide fingerprint clearly distinct from those previously established for monarchs reared on otherAsclepias species. Our data support the use of fingerprints to make ecological predictions concerning larval host-plant utilization.A. asperula subsp.capricornu andA. viridis Walt, are the predominant early spring milkweeds throughout most of the south central United States. Cardenolide-rich monarchs reared on these two species may be instrumental in establishing and reinforcing visual avoidance of adults by naive predators throughout their spring and summer breeding cycle in eastern North America.Lepidoptera: Danaidae.Apocynales: Asclepiadaceae.     

Differences and similarities in cardenolide contents of queen and monarch butterflies in florida and their ecological and evolutionary implications

Florida queen butterflies are highly variable in cardenolide content and, in three populations studied, contained less cardenolide than did a sample of sympatric Florida monarchs. The possibility that queens stored a more potent set of cardenolides from their host plants (and therefore were as well protected as monarchs, even at lower concentrations) is refuted by Chromatographic analysis of wild butterflies, as well as controlled laboratory rearings. It therefore appears that, with respect to cardenolides, monarchs are better defended than are queens. Consequently, cardenolides are unlikely to explain the apparent shift in Florida viceroy mimicry away from resemblance of the monarch, toward mimicry of the queen. Other hypotheses to explain this mimetic phenomenon are suggested. Adult monarchs exhibit significant negative correlations between the concentration of cardenolide stored in their tissues and both body size and weight, whereas queens show no such correlations. The implications of these results for the study of metabolic costs of allelochemic storage are discussed. Chromatographic evidence is provided that monarchs do breed in south Florida during the winter months and that the likely host plant employed by the population studied wasAsclepias curassavica. This represents the first practical application of cardenolide fingerprinting to identify the larval host plants of wild danaid butterflies.     

Cardenolide fingerprint of monarch butterflies reared on common milkweed,Asclepias syriaca L.

Monarch butterfly,Danaus plexippus (L.), larvae were collected during August 1983 from the common milkweed,Asclepias syriaca L., across its extensive North American range from North Dakota, east to Vermont, and south to Virginia. This confirms that the late summer distribution of breeding monarchs in eastern North America coincides with the range of this extremely abundant milkweed resource. Plant cardenolide concentrations, assayed by spectrophotometry in 158 samples from 27 collection sites, were biased towards plants with low cardenolide, and ranged from 4 to 229 g/ 0.1 g dry weight, with a mean of 50 g/0.1 g. Monarch larvae reared on these plants stored cardenolides logarithmically, and produced 158 adults with a normally distributed concentration range from 0 to 792 g/0. l g dry butterfly, with a mean of 234 g/0.1 g. Thus butterflies increased the mean plant cardenolide concentration by 4.7. The eastern plants and their resultant butterflies had higher cardenolide concentrations than those from the west, and in some areas monarchs sequestered more cardenolide from equivalent plants. Plants growing in small patches had higher cardenolide concentrations than those in larger patches, but this did not influence butterfly concentration. However, younger plants and those at habitat edges had higher cardenolide concentrations than either older, shaded, or open habitat plants, and this did influence butterfly storage. There were no apparent topographical differences reflected in the cardenolides of plants and butterflies. Twenty-eight cardenolides were recognized by thin-layer chromatography, with 27 in plants and 21 in butterflies. Butterflies stored cardenolides within the more polar 46% of the plantR _d range, these being sequestered in higher relative concentrations than they occurred in the plants. By comparison with published TLC cardenolide mobilities, spots 3, 4, 9, 16, 24 or 25, 26, and 27, may be the cardenolides syrioside, uzarin, syriobioside, syriogenin, uzarigenin, labriformidin, and labriformin, respectively. Cochromatography with cardenolide standards indicated that desglucosyrioside did not occur in the plants but did occur in 70% of the butterflies, and aspecioside was in 99% of the plants and 100% of the butterflies. The polar aspecioside was the single most concentrated and diagnostic cardenolide in both plants and butterflies. ButterflyR _d values were dependent on those of the plant, and both showed remarkable uniformity over the range of areas sampled. Thus contrary to previous reports,A. syriaca has a biogeographically consistent cardenolide fingerprint pattern. The ecological implications of this for understanding the monarch's annual migration cycle are significant.     

Plant-determined variation in cardenolide content and thin-layer chromatography profiles of monarch butterflies,Danaus plexippus reared on milkweed plants in California

Variation in gross cardenolide concentration of the mature leaves of 85Asclepias californica plants collected in four different areas of California is a positively skewed distribution ranging from 9 to 199 g of cardenolide per 0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 66 g/0.1 g. Butterflies reared individually on these plants in their native habitats contained a normal distribution of cardenolide ranging from 59 to 410 g of cardenolide per 0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 234 g. Cardenolide uptake by the butterflies was a logarithmic function of plant concentration. Total cardenolide per butterfly ranged from 143 to 823 g with a mean of 441 g and also was normally distributed. Populational variation of plant cardenolide concentrations occurs within subspecies, but the northern subspeciesA. c. greenei does not differ significantly from the southernA. c. californica. Generally higher concentrations occur in butterflies from northern populations and in females. No evidence was adduced that cardenolides in the plants adversely affected the butterflies. Low cardenolide concentrations in the leaves and the absence of cardenolides in the latex characterize bothA. californica andA. speciosa, but notA. eriocarpa. Thin-layer chromatography in two solvent systems isolated 24 cardenolide spots in the plants, of which 18 are stored by the butterflies. There was a minor difference in the cardenolide spot patterns due to geographic origin of the plants, but as in our previous studies, none in the sexes of the butterflies. UnlikeA. eriocarpa andA. speciosa, A. californica plants lack cardenolides withRf values greater than digitoxigenin. Overall, the cardenolides of bothA. californica andA. speciosa are more polar than those inA. eriocarpa. A. californica plants contain cardenolides of the calotropagenin series including calotropin, calactin, and uscharidin, and the latter is metabolically transformed by monarch larvae to calactin and calotropin. Cardenolides of this series also occur inA. vestita, andA. cordifolia from California, the neotropicalA. curassavica, and the AfricanCalotropis procera, Gomphocarpus spp., andPergularia extenso; they therefore cross established taxonomic lines.A. californica is the predominant early season milkweed in California and may be important in providing chemical protection to the spring generation of monarchs in the western United States.A. speciosa, A. eriocarpa, andA. californica each imparts distinctive cardenolide fingerprints to the butterflies, so that ecological predictions are amenable to testing.Lepidoptera: Danaidae.Apocynales: Asclepiadaceae.This study was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grants DEB 75–14265 and 78–10658 to Amherst College; BSR-8119382 to the University of Florida with L.P. Brower as Principal Investigator; and DEB 75–14266, DEB 78–15419, and DEB 81–19391 to the University of California at Davis with J.N. Seiber as Principal Investigator.     

A four-component pheromone blend for optimum attraction of redbacked cutworm males,Euxoa ochrogaster (Guenée)

Four acetates,Z-5-decenyl acetate,Z-5-,Z-7-, andZ-9-dodecenyl acetates, in microgram ratios of 120021 or 120062 were excellent, specific sex pheromone blends for capturing male redbacked cutworm moths in cone traps. Blends in ratios of 120021 and 220021 at 1000 g/ rubber septum dispenser remained highly effective for 6 weeks under field conditions. The essential minor components,Z-5-decenyl,Z-7-, andZ-9-dodecenyl acetates, became inhibitory at concentrations of about 10% in the blends, and this may be an important general phenomenon in lepidopteran pheromones. Blends involving a parapheromone,Z-5-undecenyl acetate, withZ-5-,Z-7-, andZ-9-dodecenyl acetate, in microgram ratios of 820021 or 2020062 were also excellent specific attractants for this species. TheZ-8-dodecenyl acetate had no obvious effect on the attraction of the redbacked cutworm males.     

Plant-determined variation in the cardenolide content,thin-layer chromatography profiles,and emetic potency of monarch butterflies,Danaus plexippus L. Reared on milkweed plants in California: 2.Asclepias speciosa

The pattern of variation in gross cardenolide concentration of 111Asclepias speciosa plants collected in six different areas of California is a positively skewed distribution which ranges from 19 to 344 g of cardenolide per 0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 90 g per 0.1 g. Butterflies reared individually on these plants in their native habitats ranged from 41 to 547 g of cardenolide per 0.1 g dry weight with a mean of 179 g. Total cardenolide per butterfly ranged from 54 to 1279 g with a mean of 319 g. Differences in concentrations and total cardenolide contents in the butterflies from the six geographic areas appeared minor, and there were no differences between the males and the females, although the males did weigh significantly more than females. The uptake of cardenolide by the butterflies was found to be a logarithmic function of the plant concentration. This results in regulation: larvae which feed on low-concentration plants produce butterflies with increased cardenolide concentrations relative to those of the plants, and those which feed on high-concentration plants produce butterflies with decreased concentrations. No evidence was adduced that high concentrations of cardenolides in the plants affected the fitness of the butterflies. The mean emetic potencies of the powdered plant and butterfly material were 5.62 and 5.25 blue jay emetic dose fifty units per milligram of cardenolide and the number of ED₅₀ units per butterfly ranged from 0.28 to 6.7 with a mean of 1.67. Monarchs reared onA. speciosa, on average, are only about one tenth as emetic as those reared onA. eriocarpa. UnlikeA. eriocarpa which is limited to California,A. speciosa ranges from California to the Great Plains and is replaced eastwards byA. syriaca L. These two latter milkweed species appear to have a similar array of chemically identical cardenolides, and therefore both must produce butterflies of relatively low emetic potency to birds, with important ecological implications. About 80% of the lower emetic potency of monarchs reared on A. speciosa compared to those reared onA. eriocarpa appears attributable to the higher polarity of the cardenolides inA. speciosa. Thin-layer Chromatographie separation of the cardenolides in two different solvent systems showed that there are 23 cardenolides in theA. speciosa plants of which 20 are stored by the butterflies. There were no differences in the cardenolide spot patterns due either to geographic origin or the sex of the butterflies. As when reared onA. eriocarpa, the butterflies did not store the plant cardenolides withR _f values greater than digitoxigenin. However, metabolic transformation of the cardenolides by the larvae appeared minor in comparison to when they were reared onA. eriocarpa. AlthoughA. eriocarpa andA. speciosa contain similar numbers of cardenolides and both contain desglucosyrioside, the cardenolides ofA. speciosa overall are more polar. ThusA. speciosa has no or only small amounts of the nonpolar labriformin and labriformidin, whereas both occur in high concentrations inA. eriocarpa. A. speciosa plants and butterflies also contain uzarigen, syriogenin, and possibly other polar cardenolides withR _f values lower than digitoxin. The cardenolide concentration in the leaves is not only considerably less than inA. eriocarpa, but the latex has little to immeasurable cardenolide, whereas that ofA. eriocarpa has very high concentrations of several cardenolides. Quantitative analysis ofR _f values of the cardenolide spots, their intensities, and their probabilities of occurrence in the chloroform-methanol-formamide TLC system produced a cardenolide fingerprint pattern very different from that previously established for monarchs reared onA. eriocarpa. This dispels recently published skepticism about the predictibility of chemical fingerprints based upon ingested secondary plant chemicals.Lepidoptera: Danaidae.Apocynales: Asclepiadaceae.This study was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grants DEB 75-14265 and 78-10658 to Amherst College and BSR-8119382 to the University of Florida with L.P. Brower as Principal Investigator and DEB75-14266, DEB78-15419, and DEB-81-19391 to the University of California at Davis with J.N. Seiber as Principal Investigator.     

Sex pheromone chemistry of the western spruce budwormChoristoneura occidentalis Free

SCOT capillary Chromatographic and SCOT capillary chromatographic-mass spectrometic analyses of gland washes and effluvia of virgin femaleChoristoneura occidentalis Free, have been conducted with both a diapausing and nondiapausing strain of this insect. The following compounds were identified in gland washes and effluvia in both strains:E andZ11–14Ald,E andZ11–14Ac,E andZ11–14OH and 14Ald, 14Ac, and 14OH. The average aldehyde: acetate: alcohol ratio found by analysis of single glands by virgin females (nondiapausing strain) was 170.73. Analysis of virgin female effluvia gave this ratio as 1038 (diapausing strain: %Z=8, 11, 15, respectively) and 1036 (nondiapausing strain: %Z=8, 11, 12, respectively). The saturated components were generally 1–2% of theE isomer in each case. Comparisons of EAG responses of bothC. occidentalis andC. fumiferana toE11–14Ald,E11–14Ac andE11–14OH were made. Correlations with both laboratory and field data previously published were also made betweenC. fumiferana andC. occidentalis.Lepidoptera: Tortricidae.     

Sex pheromone of a conifer-feeding budworm,Choristoneura retiniana,Walsingham

Sex pheromone components collected from femaleChristoneura retiniana included 11-tetradecenyl acetates and alcohols. The major component wasE-11-tetradecenyl acetate (E11–14Ac) with a lesser amount ofZ isomer necessary to induce male response. A 928 ratio ofE,Z11–14 Ac appeared optimal. The alcohol component was present at about 10% of the total pheromone mixture, and traps baited with acetates plus alcohol surpassed unmated females in their degree of attractiveness. Chemical analysis indicated a 9:1 ratio of theE — Z isomers of 11-tetradecenyl alcohol (11–14ol) pheromone components, although bait formulations containing a predominance of either theE orZ isomers were equally successful in field bioassays. Based on male response to traps,E- andZ11–14Ac (928E — Z) are essential pheromone components for long-range sex attraction. The 11–14 ol enhanced attraction when added at 10% of the total pheromone blend.This paper reports the results of research only. Mention of a commercial product does not constitute a recommendation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

Blackheaded fireworm: Laboratory and field studies of its sex pheromone

Electroantennogram (EAG) responses of maleRhopobota naevana (Hübner), the blackheaded fireworm, to all of the monoene straightchain 12- and 14-carbon alcohols and acetates implicated (Z)-11-tetradecenl-1-ol (Z11–14OH) and its acetate (Z11–14Ac) as sex pheromone components.Z11–14Ac produced the strongest EAG response of all compounds tested. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of extract of female sex pheromone glands (SPG) confirmed the presence ofZ11–14OH (125 pg/female) andZ11–14Ac (600 pg/female) (all other monoenes had different retention times). In field tests, traps baited withZ11–14OH alone captured males, but traps baited withZ11–14Ac alone did not. Traps baited with a combination ofZ11–14OH andZ11–14Ac in various ratios did not produce better trap catches thanZ11–14OH alone. (Z)-9-Dodecen-1-ol acetate (Z9–12Ac), reported by others to be a field attractant, did not produce trap catch in our tests, but in combination withZ11–14 OH (982 in septa corresponding to 95:5 in vapor,Z11–14OH toZ9–12AC) produced a sevenfold increase in catch overZ11–14OH alone. IfZ9–12AC had been present in extract of SPG at 2–5% ofZ11–14OH, it would not have been detected in our GC-MS experiment. Rhopobota naevana (Hübner) Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae.     

Behavioral and neurosensory responses of the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boh. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), to fluorinated analogs of aldehyde components of its pheromone

Competitive field tests with -fluorinated analogs of compounds III and IV (III--F and IV--F, respectively) of the boll weevil,Anthonomus grandis Boh., aggregation pheromone showed these compounds, when combined with the other pheromone components [(±)-I and II], to be as attractive as grandlure [(+)-I, II, and III+IV]. Dose-response curves constructed from electroantennograms of male boll weevils to serial stimulus loads of III, IV, III--F, IV--F, and the corresponding acyl fluorinated analogs (III-acyl-F and IV-acyl-F) showed the -fiuorinated analogs to be as active as the pheromone components (threshold=0.1 g), while the acyl fluorinated analogs had a 10-100 x higher threshold (=1-10 g). Single-neuron recordings showed that IV neurons and II neurons (Dickens, 1990) responded to IV--F and III--F, respectively, while IV-acyl-F and III-acyl-F were inactive. Since a previous study showed compounds I, II, and IV to be essential for behavioral responses in the field, it seems likely that the activity of the -fluorinated analogs observed here is due to the stimulation of IV neurons by IV--F as indicated in single neuron recordings.     

Soldier defense secretions of malaysian free-ranging termite of the genusLacessititermes (Isoptera,Nasutitermitinae)

Soldiers of free-ranging termites of the genusLacessititermes (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae) secrete from their frontal glands a mixture of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes.Lacessititermes ransoneti, L. laborator, andL. species A produce species-specific secretions, the composition being most complex forL. laborator. Apart from known mono- and dihydroxytrinervitadienes, the following new diterpenes were isolated and tentatively assigned as trinervita-1(15),8(19)-dien-2,3,9,14-tetraol 2,3,14-O-triacetate, trinervita-1(15),8(19)-dien-2,3,9,14-tetraol 2,3,14-O-triacetate, 2,3,9, 14-tetraacetoxy-1 (15), 8(19)-trinervitadiene, and 2,3,11,13-tetraacetoxy-1(15),8(19)-trinervitadiene. Data on intragenus chemical variations were subjected to canonical discriminant analysis and genetic distances among the species were calculated to depict intragenus identities and affinities.     

Volatile Production by Buds and Corollas of Two Sympatric, Confamilial Plants, Ipomopsis aggregata and Polemonium foliosissimum

We used solid-phase microextraction of headspace samples followed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify and quantify the major volatile compounds produced by the buds and corollas of Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae), and we compared them to a sympatric, confamilial plant species, Polemonium foliosissimum. The two species have distinct floral morphologies and pollinators, but share a common predispersal seed predator that oviposits under the calyces of buds. Ipomopsis aggregata buds emitted fewer compounds than the corollas. The buds of I. aggregata were dominated by -pinene and, to a lesser extent, -pinene. The corollas of I. aggregata emitted a mixture of 10 compounds. Like the buds, I. aggregata corollas produced relatively high concentrations of -pinene as well as caryophyllene. In addition, the emission of four terpenoids, three esters, and one ketone added to the volatile bouquet of the corollas. Polemonium foliosissimum buds also emitted fewer compounds than the corollas. The buds of P. foliosissimum were dominated by -pinene and, to a lesser extent, -pinene. The corollas of P. foliosissimum were also dominated by -pinene along with three terpenoids, three alcohols, one ester, and two aldehydes. Comparing I. aggregata and P. foliosissimum, bud samples from both species produced considerable amounts of - and -pinene. Ipomopsis aggregata emitted more -pinene than -pinene, while P. foliosissimum emitted more -pinene. The corollas of the two species, however, differed in their volatile bouquet. The partition of volatiles between I. aggregata and P. foliosissimum buds and corollas and differences in volatile production between I. aggregata and P. foliosissimum are consistent with selection pressures exerted by organisms interacting with these plants.     

Identification and field testing of female-produced sex pheromone components of the spring cankerworm,Paleacrita vernata Peck (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Two sex pheromone components, 3(Z),6(Z),9(Z)-nonadecatriene (3Z,6Z,9Z-19 H), and 3(Z),6(Z),9(Z)-eicosatriene (3Z,6Z,9Z-20 H), have been positively identified, and a third component, 6(Z),9(Z)-nonadecadiene (6(Z),9(Z)-19 H) has been tentatively identified from abdominal tip extracts of female spring cankerworm moths,Paleacrita vernata Peck (Lepidoptera Geometridae). The pheromone components were identified by a combination of gas chromatography, electroantennography, mass spectrometry, chemical tests, comparison with standards, and field testing. Only 3Z,6Z,9Z-20 H exhibited significant attractant activity when tested alone, and it was potentiated by the other two components. The attractive blend was an 821 ratio of 3Z,6Z,9Z-20H/3Z,6Z,9Z-19H/6Z,9Z-19H. However, the two-component blend of 3Z,6Z,9Z-20 H and 6Z,9Z-19 H (81 ratio) was as attractive as the three-component blend in further field tests. A series of related compounds, the diene monoepoxides available from epoxidation of C₁₉ and C₂₀ 3Z,6Z,9Z-trienes, some of which have been found in the pheromone blends of other moth species, were tested as behavioral antagonists. The attraction of male moths to synthetic lures was suppressed by the addition of 6Z,9Z-cis-3,4-epoxy-nonadecadiene to the lures. Additional experiments were performed to determine the effects of lure dosage, trap height, and trap design on the numbers of male moths captured.Issued as NRCC 30711.     

Sex pheromone of the chokecherry leafroller moth,Sparganothis directana

(E)-9,11-Dodecadienyl acetate and (Z)-9,11-dodecadienyl acetate in conjunction with (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate were found to comprise the sex pheromone ofSparganothis directana, based on chemical analysis, electroantennogram tests, and field trapping. (E)-9-Dodecenyl acetate and (Z)-9-dodecenyl acetate were also found in gland extracts but did not influence trap catches. The relative amounts of these compounds in the gland were 3521928 106, in the order named. Only (E)-9,1 1-dodecadienyl acetate, (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate, and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate were required for attraction of males to traps, dispensed in the relative amounts 501238, respectively.Lepidoptera: Tortricidae.Supported by National Science Foundation grant PCM 78-13241.     

Investigation of the role of diterpenes produced by marine pulmonatesTrimusculus reticulatus andT. conica

The intertidal pulmonate limpetTrimusculus reticulatus, which is found in caves or crevices along the California coast, was previously reported to contain two novel diterpenoids, 6-isovaleroxylabda-8,13-dien-7,15-diol (1) and 2,7-diacetoxy-6-isovaleroxylabda-8,13-dien-15-ol (2). Dissection of the animals prior to extraction revealed that the diterpenoids were concentrated in the mantle, foot, and mucus, but not in the viscera. The presence ofT. reticulatus or its mucus was toxic to veliger larvae of the sabellariid reef-building tube wormPhragmatopoma californica. The major diterpenoid1 was responsible for the observed larvicidal activity. Protection against overgrowth by settling invertebrate larvae is important for the survival of this sessile filter-feeding pulmonate. A related pulmonate,T. conica, which was found in similar intertidal habitats in New Zealand, contained 6-acetoxy-7-isovaleroxylabda-8,13-dien-15-oic acid (3) and 1,7,12,18-tetraacetoxy-cholest-5-en-3-ol (4). The diterpene3 was also localized in the foot, mantle, and mucus ofT. conica but was not larvicidal toP. californica.     

Antifungal Activity of Some B,D-Seco Limonoids from Two Meliaceous Plants

Isolation and characterization of B,D-seco limonoids from Swietenia mahogani have been described. Seven limonoids from S. mahogani and five limonoids from Khaya senegalensis were tested for antifungal activity against the groundnut rust Puccinia arachidis. Mexicanolide, 3-acetoxy-mexicanolide, 3-hydroxymexicanolide, 2,3-dihydroxymexicanolide from K. senegalensis, and 6-acetylswietenine and 6-acetyl-3-tigloylswietenolide from S. mahogani effectively reduced the number of rust pustules on detached groundnut leaves. Possible correlation of structure to antifungal activity is discussed.     

Laminar radial flow electrochemical reactors. III. Electroorganic sysnthesis

This paper investigates the performance and design of three laminar radial flow electrochemical cells (the capillary gap cell, stationary discs; the rotating electrolyzer, co-rotational discs; the pump cell, one disc rotating and the other stationary). Modeling of a competing electrosynthesis pathway is described — the methoxylation of furan. The model developed incorporates convective, diffusive and migrative influences with three homogeneous and two electrodic reactions. Two sizes of reactors are considered and the performance of the different reactor types analyzed as a function of size. The superiority of the rotational cells is illustrated for this reaction scheme compared to both the capillary gap cell (CG) and a parallel plate reactor (PPER). Scale-up criteria are scrutinized and two approaches to laminar radial flow reactor scale-up are investigated. The one suggested herein shows that Taylor number, residence time,IR drop and rotational Reynolds number must all be accounted for even with a fairly simple electrosynthesis pathway. A quantitative evaluation of this scale-up procedure is included.Nomenclature a gap width (m) - C dimensionless concentration - D diffusion coefficient (m² s^-1) - Pe Peclet number ( _c a/D) - Q volumetric flow rate (m³ s^-1) - r dimensionless radius - R radius (m) - Re Reynolds number ( _c a/v) - Re rotational Reynolds number (R ₀ ² /v) - t time (s) - residence time of reactor - _r dimensionless radial velocity - _z dimensionless axial velocity - V volume (m³), velocity (m s^-1) and voltage - z dimensionless axial distance Greek symbols Taylor number ((a ² )/4v)^1/2 - ratio of characteristic lengths (a/R ₀) - constant - v kinematic viscosity (m² s^-1) - angular velocity (rad s^-1) - reference value - Thiele moduli      

Investigation of sex pheromone components of female asian corn borer,Ostrinia furnacalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Taiwan

(E)-12-Tetradecenyl acetate (E12–14OAc), (Z)-12-tetradecenyl acetate (Z12–143nOAc), and tetradecanyl acetate (14OAc) were extracted and identified as major chemical components from female tips of the Asian corn borer,Ostrinia furnacalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Taiwan, with a combined wash ratio of 483715 and an individual female ratio of 453916. The average amount ofE12-,Z12–14OAc and 14OAc in each female gland was 6.6±4.6, 5.8±3.5, and 2.4±1.7 ng/female, respectively. The mixture of these three synthetic chemicals not only gave strong activities in male antennae but also could catch significantly more males than virgin females in field-trapping tests. The field test also showed no significant difference in trapping ability among the three-component Taiwan formulations, the two-component Taiwan formulation (Z12–14OAc andZ1214OAc, 5347), and the Japan formulation (Z12–14 OAc andE 12–14OAc, 3:2).     

Variation in semiochemical-mediated prey-predator interaction:Ips pini (Scolytidae) andThanasimus dubius (Cleridae)

The bark beetleIps pini (Say) displays variation in its response to and production of enantiomeric blends of its pheromone ipsdienol. One of the principal predators ofIps pini isThanasimus dubius (F.), which uses ipsdienol as a kairomone for prey location. During 1988 and 1989, in Wisconsin and Michigan, the response of both species to a range of enantiomeric blends of ipsdienol was investigated. Blends tested had the following ratios of the (S)-(+) to (R)-(–) enantiomers: 3%97%, 25%75%, 50%50%, 75%25%, and 97%3%. Either75% (+) 25% (–) or 50% (+) 50% (–) ipsdienol captured the mostIps pini in both years at both sites. The 25% (+)75% (–) blend also caught moreIps pini than the control during both years at both sites. All blends tested were attractive toThanasimus dubius in both years at both locations. Blend preferences of both species were variable and labile at both sites. Response patterns of both species in Wisconsin were different from those in Michigan each year. Furthermore, response patterns of both species to the ipsdienol blends changed from 1988 to 1989 at both locations. A genetic component to this variation would permit predator-prey coevolution, as well as the development of resistance byIps pini to management strategies based on mass-trapping with single blends.     

Studies on the response of ‘Tifblue’ and ‘Woodard’ rabbiteye blueberries to fertilizers

A field study was conducted to investigate the effects of three fertilizer placement methods and 11 fertilizer formulations on plant survival, economics of replanting, yield, and fruit size of two rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) cultivars Tifblue and Woodard. Fertilizer rates were either mixed with the soil under plants (before planting), sidedressed, or half-rate was placed under plants with the other half sidedressed. Fertilizers at planting caused a total of 34% Woodard and 12% Tifblue plants to die as compared to 6% for Woodard and none for Tifblue when no fertilizer was applied. Fertilizer formulas 2-1-1 and 5-10-10 oxide ratios placed under Woodard plants caused 100% mortality whereas Tifblue fertilized with oxide ratios 2-2-2 and 5-10-10 under plants reached the maximum 50% mortality. Splitting fertilizer placement under the side of the plants resulted in less Woodard plant mortality (30%) than placing all the fertilizer under plants (54%). However, plant mortality for the side/under group was not different than sidedressing all fertilizer (23%). A planted hectare in this experiment consisted of 1852 Tifblue and 926 Woodard plants, providing one Woodard plant to pollinate two Tifblue plants. Based on the results obtained, the 5-10-10 fertilizer placed under plants would be expected to cause half the Tifblue (926 plants) and all the Woodard (926 plants) to be replanted. Plant costs alone was estimated to be $2315 with additional replanting costs of $93 for Tifblue and much higher for Woodard. Sidedressing 5-10-10 fertilizer eight weeks after planting would have prevented plant mortality. Placement of various fertilizers under Woodard or Tifblue plants resulted in a significant increase in plant mortality as compared to side placement of fertilizers. Yield loss due to plant mortality increased linearly with the N level of the fertilizers (ranging from 0 to 2) for both cultivars. Woodard fruit size was not affected by fertilizer placement but placing fertilizers under Tifblue plants produced smaller yields with larger fruit than sidedressed plants. Blueberry plants in a virgin acidic soil may experience no reduction in yield if fertilization is completely eliminated.