Ethylene as an synomone to ants and wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera) at a Coffea canephora (Pierre) plantation

Abstract

Ethylene is a volatile phytohormone that plays an important role in the physiological processes of coffee plants. However, the role of this compound as a semiochemical in the tritrophic interaction involving Hypothenemus hampei, Coffea canephora, and hymenopteran insects remains unknown. Ethylene-baited traps were used in a coffee plantation in the experimental field of Embrapa Rondônia in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia state, Brazil. The experiment was conducted during the fruit maturation period (March and April). Ethylene did not attract H. hampei compared to control traps (distilled water) but was significantly attractive to hymenopterans suggesting that it acts as a synomone.