Constituents of the Cotton Bud. XVI. The Attractancy Response of the Boll Weevil to the Essential Oils of a Group of Host and Nonhost Plants123

When the essential oils of several host and nonhost species within the Malvaceae family and some angiosperms and gymnosperms were tested for attractancy to Anthonomus grandis Boheman, the oils were as attractive as cotton oil. Moreover, the insect actually favored essential oils of 2 alternate host plants, Hibiscus Militaris Cav. and H. lasiocarpus Cav., in comparative preference tests with cotton oil. Thus, in the laboratory, the essential oils in plants did not control insect preference exclusively. Morphological and environmental conditions may influence the concentrations of volatile components released by the plants to the atmosphere.