Studies on semiochemicals produced by Gonocerus acuteangulatus for their use as control methods in hazelnut orchards

Gonocerus acuteangulatus (Goeze) (Hemiptera: Coreidae) is one of the most harmful hazelnut pests in Europe and Turkey, responsible for seriously affecting crop quality with its feeding activity. Chemical control is very difficult to achieve due to its high mobility and polyphagy; however, it is currently the only available method to reduce effectively damage by bugs. Therefore, a two-year study on behavioural responses of G. acuteangulatus was carried out with the aim to develop alternative control tactics to protect hazelnut crop. In 2010-2011, individuals of G. acuteangulatus were collected in the field, mass-reared in laboratory, and used in behavioural and physiological bioassays. In field surveys, very abundant populations were found on wild bushes, belonging to various plant families, showing a tendency to aggregate on some plant species, different from hazelnut, during fruit ripening. In olfactometer bioassays, females were attractive for both males and females, just after winter diapause and before mating. Moreover, in physiological bioassays the tested compounds were perceived by antennae of both males and females, showing the suitability of the developed electroantennography procedure. In the light of these promising preliminary results, the research is worthy of going on to improve our knowledge on the attractiveness of the volatile compounds produced by both G. acuteangulatus and host plants, and on behavioural responses of bugs in field conditions so as to implement effective environment-friendly control strategies.