The
spherical mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a major global pest causing feeding
damage to leaves and fruits of citrus varieties, soybean, mango, pomegranate,
and grapevines. Females of the mealybug release a sex pheromone that
was identified recently as a mixture of γ-necrodyl isobutyrate
and γ-necrodol. The identification required synthesis based
on a natural source of trans-α-necrodol, of
unknown chirality, obtained from essential oil of Spanish lavender, Lavandula luisieri. To determine the chirality of
the sex pheromone, here, we synthesize the γ-necrodyl acetate
enriched in (+)-(S)-enantiomer and separate the enantiomers
using a lipase enzyme. We confirm that the natural components, both
in the mealybug and in the lavender essential oil, consist of (−)-(R)-enantiomers. Bioassays conducted in the lab and field
show that males are attracted to (−)-(R)-γ-necrodyl
isobutyrate alone.
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