Comparative Effects of Sponge Gourd and Kidney Bean on Olfactory Preference and Fitness of the Leafminer Liriomyza trifolii

ABSTRACT

Liriomyza trifolii is an invasive pest causing severe damage to crops worldwide. This study examined its olfactory responses and life history traits on sponge gourd and kidney bean to evaluate their potential for ecological pest management. Y‐tube olfactometer assays showed that L. trifolii adults preferred damaged sponge gourd leaves over damaged kidney bean leaves but showed no preference between intact leaves. GC–MS analysis revealed distinct volatile profiles between hosts, with trans ‐3‐Hexen‐1‐ol and 1‐Hexanol dominant in damaged sponge gourd, while trans ‐3‐hexeny1 acetate and 1‐octen‐3‐ol dominated in kidney bean. Behavioral tests confirmed that trans ‐3‐Hexen‐1‐ol at concentrations of 1 μL/mL and 100 μL/mL, and 1‐octen‐3‐ol at 0.01 μL/mL and 1 μL/mL significantly attracted adults, whereas 1‐Hexanol showed no significant effect at any tested concentration. Age‐stage, two‐sex life table analysis indicated that sponge gourd was a less suitable host: female longevity, oviposition days, net reproductive rate, and mean generation time were significantly reduced compared with kidney bean, although intrinsic and finite rates of increase showed no significant differences. These findings indicate that sponge gourd, despite its attractiveness to L. trifolii upon damage, effectively suppresses the population development of this pest, and the identified volatiles represent promising candidates for behavioral manipulation in trap cropping systems.