Development of a bioluminescence assay for aldehyde pheromones of insects

A newly developed bioluminescent assay was used to measure quantitatively the amount of (E)-11-tetradecenal, the major component of the sex pheromone of the spruce budworm, trapped on Porapak Q^®. The bioluminescent response was linearly related to the amount of aldehyde either deposited on the absorbent or trapped from an airstream. However, the recovery of pheromone from Porapak was dependent on whether the air was prefiltered (through Porapak) or taken directly from the atmosphere. Furthermore, pheromone on Porapak was lost with time during the flow of air through the absorbent, indicating that trapping of aldehyde pheromone should be conducted for short periods of time for optimal recoveries. The applicability of the assay system for the rapid and direct measurement of the release rates of aldehyde pheromone lures was demonstrated for pheromone lures used for baiting spruce budworm traps.This investigation was supported by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service Program entitled Canada United States Spruce Budworms Program (23–345) and the Medical Research Council of Canada (MT-4314).