Antagonistic effect of (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol on the pheromone-mediated flight of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Flight-tunnel experiments were conducted using Helicoverpa zea males to determine whether or not (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol (Z11-16:OH), a compound emitted by another heliothine moth species, Heliothis subflexa, is a behavioral antagonist when admixed with the two-component pheromone blend of H. zea. Males were less likely to fly upwind all the way to the source when 0.3% Z11-16:OH was present in the blend. Even 0.1% Z11-16:OH caused differences in the flight behavior of H. zea males; they steered more off the windline than males responding to the pheromone blend alone, resulting in more oblique track angles. Thus Z11-16:OH appears to act antagonistically, along with another compound, (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol acetate (Z11-16:Ac), when it is added to the H. zea pheromone blend.