Attractiveness of Spodoptera frugiperda and Agrotis ipsilon Moths to Different Essential Oils Using Y-tube

The present study was conducted to determine the attractiveness of female and male moths of fall armyworms (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda(Smith), and black cutworms (BCW), Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel). A Y-tube olfactometer was used in laboratory studies when given a choice between control (distilled water) and essential oils. Rearing each of the fall armyworm and black cutworm for several generations in the laboratory Larvae were fed on castor bean leaves for more than 15 generations at a temperature of 26 ± 1°C and a relative humidity of 65± 5% to obtain a sensitive strain until reaching the pupae stage and the exit of the moths. Then the 15 male moths were separated from the 15 female moths. 50µ L / of each oil was placed on a filter paper, and similarly distilled water was used in the control treatment. The results showed Rosemary was highly attractive, with 66.6% for female moths, Lemongrass, Eucalyptus (Kafur), and Thyme (73.3%) for male moths, while Marjoram and a mixture of oils were more repellent for male moths of S. frugiperda. Geranium oil (60%) was recorded as attractive for female A. ipsilon moths; Chamomile oil attracted 80% of BCW male moths. On the other hand, Basil and Lemongrass (66.6%) were found to be repellent to BCW male moths. Therefore, this study can be used in the field to attract moths' females only inside the pheromone trap and also increase the rate of moths' male attraction. These results are considered effective within the framework of integrated pest management, where eco-friendly oils can be used at a simple and inexpensive rate in the field to reduce the damage caused by the targeted pests during integrated pest management.