Sex Pheromones of Lepidoptera. 1 Xxxi. Disruption of Sex Pheromone Communication in Pectinophora gossypiella2 with Hexalure 3

Hexalurc, cis -7-hexadecenyl acetate, a compound which is attractive to males of Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) but not believed to be the primary sex pheromone of P. gossypiella females, was continuously released into the air from arrays of uniformly spaced evaporators in cotton fields. When a sufficient quantity of hexalure was released, males were almost completely prevented from locating females releasing their pheromone from traps located in the centers of the arrays. Disruption of pheromone communication was most efficient when hexalure was evaporated at the plane formed by the top of the plant canopy. An attempt was made to influence mating in the resident pink bollworm population of a 7.3-hectare cotton field by permeating the atmosphere over the field with hexalure during a 4-week period. The occurrence of multiple mating by females in the treated field was reduced relative to that occurring in a control field; however, the percent of females that mated at least once was not reduced.