Performance of polyethylene tubes as pheromone lures for the sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae)

The sorghum plant bug, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), is a pest that infests rice in many regions of Japan. Three sex attractant pheromone components—hexyl butyrate, ( E )-2-hexenyl butyrate, and ( E )-4-oxo-2-hexenal—were identified in S. rubrovittatus . Because the longevity of a synthetic rubber septum dispenser is not sufficient for it to be an effective S. rubrovittatus pheromone lure, the performances of an alternative pheromone dispenser—a polyethylene tube—was examined. Hexyl butyrate and ( E )-2-hexenyl butyrate are essential components of S. rubrovittatus male attraction, and the application of ( E )-4-oxo-2-hexenal strongly enhanced the attractiveness of such “tube-type” lures. A 5:1:10 blend of hexyl butyrate, ( E )-2-hexenyl butyrate, and ( E )-4-oxo-2-hexenal was found to be the best blend ratio for male attraction in the tube-type lures. Tube-type lures attracted more males than rubber lures. Furthermore, the attractiveness of the tube-type lures was maintained for more than 28 days in the field. These results suggest that tube-type lures made of polyethylene plastic are suitable for monitoring S. rubrovittatus in fields.