Electroantennogram response of alfalfa seed chalcid,Bruchophagus roddi (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) to host- and nonhost-plant volatiles.

The alfalfa seed chalcid (ASC),Bruchophagus roddi, is a monophagous pest of alfalfa that parasitizes developing seeds. To further understand the olfactory basis of host-plant recognition by ASCs, we recorded electroantennograms (EAGs) from females and males to 39 volatiles from both alfalfa and red clover. The chemoreceptive sensitivity of ASCs was selective for certain general classes of compounds, defined by their carbon-chain length (C6 and C8), structure (aliphatics and phenolics), isomerism, and/or functional group (acetates, ketones, and alcohols).

Developmental toxicology of potato alkaloids in the frog embryo teratogenesis assay--Xenopus (FETAX).

Potatoes frequently contain growth inhibitors and toxic compounds including digestive enzyme inhibitors, lectins and glycoalkaloids. The literature suggests that Solanum alkaloids have the ability to induce neurological damage such as spina bifida and other malformations. As part of a programme of improvement in the safety of potatoes using molecular plant genetics and parallel food safety evaluation, we evaluated the effect of several potato glycoalkaloids and aglycones in the frog embryo teratogenesis assay--Xenopus (FETAX) with and without metabolic activation by Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver microsomes.

Non-clastogenicity in mouse bone marrow of fructose/lysine and other sugar/amino acid browning products with in vitro genotoxicity.

Heated sugar/amino acid reaction mixtures, known to contain products that are clastogenic and/or mutagenic to cells in vitro, were evaluated for clastogenic activity in mouse bone marrow using the erythrocyte micronucleus assay. Heated (i.e.

Electroantennogram responses of the mediterranean fruit fly,Ceratitis capitata, to a spectrum of plant volatiles.

Electroantennograms (EAGs) were recorded from unmated, laboratory-reared, male and femaleCeratitis capitata (medfly) in response to a range of C1 and C2 to C12 carbon chain-length aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes, acetates, and acids, and lactones, some of which are known volatiles from leaves and fruits. A large degree of EAG response uniformity between the sexes was observed, with only eight of the 70 compounds tested eliciting significantly larger amplitude EAG responses from female than male antennae. In general, for the five functional-group series tested, aldehydes and alcohols elicited greater responses than acetates, lactones, and acids.