ABSTRACT The integration of semiochemicals into pest management strategies provides a sustainable complement to conventional insecticide‐based control. The present study evaluated the efficacy of synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identified from cotton headspace volatiles in attracting dominant ground‐dwelling predators in cotton agroecosystems, namely the earwig Labidura riparia and the bombardier beetle Pheropsophus nigricollis . Headspace volatiles from intact, healthy, flowering Suvin cotton ( Gossypium barbadense ) plants were collected and analysed using GC–MS, resulting in the identification of 45 compounds. Based on their reported roles in natural enemy attraction and documented occurrence in cotton, five VOCs representing distinct chemical classes, α‐pinene, β‐caryophyllene, methyl salicylate, D‐limonene and n‐tetradecane, were selected for field bioassays. Field trials employing pitfall and funnel traps revealed that n ‐tetradecane produced the highest captures of both predators, with 29.5 ± 2.1 L. riparia /trap and 21.3 ± 1.8 P. nigricollis /trap (mean ± SE; both F > 130, p < 0.001). β‐Caryophyllene and methyl salicylate selectively attracted L. riparia (8.8 ± 1.2 and 5.8 ± 0.9/trap, respectively), whereas α‐pinene and D ‐limonene elicited stronger responses from P. nigricollis (9.8 ± 1.1 and 5.8 ± 0.8/trap, respectively). Notably, n ‐tetradecane, an understudied aliphatic hydrocarbon, exhibited broad‐spectrum attraction, highlighting its potential utility alongside herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) in cotton integrated pest management programs.
Shankarganesh et al. (Fri,) studied this question.