Pest Management Science最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating astigmatid mites as supplemental food for Macrolophus pygmaeus: contrasting responses between commercial and wild populations.","authors":"María Del Carmen Reche, Carolina Graválos, Amador Rodríguez-Gómez, Virginia Balanza, Ana Belén Abelaira, Pablo Bielza","doi":"10.1002/ps.70882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70882","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early establishment of Macrolophus pygmaeus in crops depends on the availability of supplemental food. However, Ephestia kuehniella eggs are costly, and although Artemia franciscana cysts are much cheaper, they may show lower and more variable nutritional quality. We therefore evaluated seven astigmatid mite species as factitious diets for two populations of M. pygmaeus (commercial and wild).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Survival, development time, adult weight, longevity, fecundity, and demographic parameters were assessed and compared with the standard E. kuehniella diet. As expected, E. kuehniella resulted in the highest biological performance in both populations. Nevertheless, several mite species supported moderate development. Acarus siro and Carpoglyphus lactis emerged as the most promising alternatives, showing relatively high survival, acceptable developmental rates, and less pronounced reductions in fecundity. The wild population showed greater tolerance to suboptimal diets, particularly when fed Lepidoglyphus destructor, suggesting population-specific nutritional responses likely linked to genetic variation. Life table analyses supported these findings.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although none of the mite species matched the nutritional quality of E. kuehniella, some represent viable and economically competitive supplemental foods capable of promoting M. pygmaeus establishment in the absence of prey. These results highlight the potential to optimize alternative diets and to develop predator strains better adapted to cost-effective food sources. © 2026 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-objective optimization of low-cost high-pressure glasshouse atomization: High-speed imaging mechanism for targeted droplet uniformity, environmental sustainability, and whitefly control.","authors":"Zhongyi Yu, Jiashu Guo, Hongyu Wang, Chunxia Quan, Han Deng, Kalai Asikaibaike, Supakorn Wongsuk, Xiongkui He, Hai Sun","doi":"10.1002/ps.70809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70809","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chemical pesticides remain the primary strategy for controlling greenhouse whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), yet traditional application systems are plagued by uneven droplet distribution, severe pesticide drift, and inadequate control efficacy - all of which contradict cleaner production objectives. To address these challenges, this study proposed a multi-objective optimization framework for low-cost high-pressure glasshouse atomization, integrating a high-speed imaging mechanism to achieve targeted droplet uniformity, environmental sustainability, and efficient whitefly control. A self-developed low-cost high-precision atomization system was constructed, featuring polypropylene Venturi-swirl integrated atomizing nozzle (PP-VSIN). High-speed imaging was employed to capture the transient behaviors (spreading, trajectory, and deposition) of water and pesticide droplets on tomato crops, enabling quantitative analysis of droplet size distribution (DSD), coefficient of variation (CV), and target leaf contact characteristics under varying conditions: spray pressure (2, 5, and 8 MPa), nozzle-tomato horizontal distance (0.5, 0.75, and 1 m), and spray angle (90°, 120°, and 180°). Results demonstrated that the mixed pesticide solution reduced the contact angles on tomato leaves, water-sensitive paper, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cards, effectively enhancing the spreading and adhesion capabilities of droplets on tomato surfaces. Droplet size spectrum analysis revealed that the average droplet size decreased with increasing spray pressure, and particularly when pressure increased from 5 to 8 MPa, droplet deposition and penetration were significantly improved. Tomato canopy deposition followed the order of upper > middle > lower (6.300, 6.226, and 6.062 μL cm^-2), with minimal overall differences, while droplet coverage was the lowest on the upper and lower leaves of the canopy (21.02% and 21.15%, respectively). Multi-objective optimization confirmed the optimal parameters: 0.75 m single-side nozzle spacing, 180° spray angle, 8 MPa spray pressure, and 225 L hm^-1 application rate. This parameter combination exhibited excellent atomization performance and whitefly control efficacy, with the control efficacy of six treatments stabilizing at 79.68-89.01% on the seventh day and remaining above 79% thereafter. Compared with traditional application systems, pesticide usage was reduced by 33.33%. This system achieves a balance among performance, cost, and environmental sustainability, improves targeted pest control, and promotes environmental sustainability. It bridges the gap between mechanistic understanding and practical application, providing a scalable and sustainable clean production solution for pest management in small-to-medium glasshouses. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"CfCEPs positively regulate the pathogenicity of oil tea anthracnose, potential targets for fungicides.","authors":"Xinggang Chen, Xianpeng Ni, Hui Xue, Jing Wu, Zihan Huang, Jingao Zhu, Guoying Zhou, Junang Liu","doi":"10.1002/ps.70786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oil tea (Camellia oleifera) anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. seriously endangers the oil tea forestry. However, there is a lack of suitable targets for the development of efficient and environmentally friendly fungicides and precise prevention of oil tea anthracnose.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, 20 highly expressed Colletotrichum fructicola candidate effector proteins (CfCEPs) were predicted as potential targets. Yeast secretion test showed that these 20 CfCEPs have secretory activity, indicating that they may be potential targets. Transient overexpression assay showed that 20 CfCEPs suppressed plant immunity, but only four of them (CfCEP1, CfCEP2, CfCEP7, and CfCEP8) directly promoted pathogen infection. Gene deletion showed that these four CfCEPs directly regulate pathogenicity, rather than indirectly regulating pathogenicity by regulating growth and reproduction, indicating that they are suitable potential targets. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that these four CfCEPs mainly function in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that these four CfCEPs were upregulated during the infection phase. Finally, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and conserved motif analysis suggested that these four CfCEPs were conserved in Colletotrichum genus.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In summary, this study provided four potential targets for the development of novel fungicides and theoretical guidance for the precise and efficient prevention of oil tea anthracnose. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unraveling spatiotemporal dynamics of pine wilt disease via time-series UAV monitoring and deep learning.","authors":"Hui Huang, Qinan Lin, Yang You, Guomo Zhou","doi":"10.1002/ps.70873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70873","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of pine wilt disease (PWD) to inform data-driven management. We implemented a time-series monitoring framework in a township in Zhejiang Province, China, acquiring seven sequences of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) orthomosaics between 2022 and 2024. An enhanced YOLOX-based change detection model was developed and trained on 300 000 samples. This model exploits phenological variations to automatically identify PWD-discolored pines, effectively filtering confounding objects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The model demonstrated robust performance, achieving an Average Precision (AP) of 0.89, with Precision and Recall exceeding 85%. Analysis revealed a consistent westward expansion and a progressive increase in disease hotspots. Crucially, winter surveys detected substantial delayed-symptom pines missed in autumn, roughly equivalent to the autumn baseline. Consequently, the annual cumulative mortality caused by PWD was nearly double (2×) the autumn count. Over 90% of trees newly identified in autumn were located within 300 m of infections detected the previous spring, indicating strong spatial clustering. Furthermore, 80% of infected trees occurred at elevations < 400 m and slopes < 29°, aligning with prevailing easterly winds.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This research establishes a validated framework bridging remote sensing and on-the-ground sanitation. By quantifying the symptom lag effect (which doubles mortality estimates relative to traditional autumn surveys) and elucidating environmentally driven spread mechanisms, we provide a scientific basis for correcting census biases and optimizing resource allocation for precise PWD management. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disruption of MaPigA, a phosphatidylinositol-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase subunit gene, promotes cuticle penetration and immune evasion through enhancing cell wall α-1,3-glucan in Metarhizium anisopliae.","authors":"Yulin Mu, Junhao Huang, Yuxian Xia, Kai Jin","doi":"10.1002/ps.70890","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70890","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Metarhizium anisopliae is a major entomopathogenic fungus used in insect pest control. Its pathogenicity hinges on the ability to breach the insect cuticle and evade host immunity, the latter of which is mediated by a reduced host recognition of fungal cell wall components. This study investigated the role of MaPigA, a gene encoding a subunit of the phosphatidylinositol-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GPI-GnT) complex, in the virulence of M. anisopliae.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Disruption of MaPigA significantly enhanced fungal virulence against locusts. Relative to the wild-type (WT) strain, the ΔMaPigA strain of M. anisopliae applied topically and by hemocoelic injection showed a reduction in median lethal time (LT₅₀) by 1.03 and 0.71 days, respectively. This enhanced virulence was characterized by accelerated cuticle penetration, evidenced by enhanced germination and appressorium formation on locust hindwings, and increased immune evasion, manifested as a significant suppression of host phenoloxidase activity, defensin gene expression, and hemocoelic nodulation. MaPigA deletion was shown to trigger a 21.2% increase in cell wall α-1,3-glucan content, which augmented conidial surface hydrophobicity and biofilm formation. This alteration facilitated host cuticle adhesion and likely contributed to immune evasion.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The targeted disruption of MaPigA enhanced the virulence of M. anisopliae by promoting α-1,3-glucan accumulation in the cell wall, thereby improving host infection efficiency without compromising fungal growth kinetics. These findings indicate that MaPigA affects the regulation of α-1,3-glucan, perhaps indirectly and adaptively, with consequences for virulence. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel histone deacetylase-inhibiting 5-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives with exceptional efficacy against Phakopsora pachyrhizi.","authors":"Chunlan Li, Yuandong Liu, Yuxin Huang, Fanqi Meng, Jing Zhang, Lixin Zhang","doi":"10.1002/ps.70879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70879","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi (P. pachyrhizi) poses a serious threat to global soybean production, and resistance to conventional fungicides is increasing. Therefore, new fungicides with novel modes of action are urgently needed. This study aimed to design and optimize potent 5-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole (TFMO) derivatives inspired by fungal histone deacetylase inhibition.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-two TFMO derivatives were synthesized through bioisosteric modification and linker optimization. Among them, FM-17888 showed the highest activity against P. pachyrhizi, with an EC₅₀ value of 0.0583 mg·L^-1, approximately eightfold lower than that of flufenoxadiazam. Under the tested greenhouse conditions, FM-17888 also showed good crop safety and selective activity against Puccinia triticina. Molecular docking and DFT analyses suggested that its improved activity may be associated with favorable binding geometry, additional π-sulfur interactions, and a reduced HOMO-LUMO energy gap.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>FM-17888 is a potent and selective TFMO lead compound for soybean rust control. Together with the greenhouse bioassay, docking, and DFT results, these findings support FM-17888 as a promising candidate for further development against rust diseases, while direct target-validation studies are still needed to confirm its precise mode of action. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and synthesis of oxathiapiprolin derivatives containing acetal fragments as potent fungicide candidates.","authors":"Hong-Hao Li, Jin-Peng Yang, Chuan-Xiang Cheng, Lan Zhang, Chao Gong, Ying Ye, Xi-Li Liu, Wm Wishwajith W Kandegama, Xiao-Lei Zhu","doi":"10.1002/ps.70886","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oxysterol-binding proteins (OSBPs) serve as critical regulators throughout the oomycete life cycle. Oxathiapiprolin (OXA), a potent OSBP-targeting fungicide, represents the first commercially developed piperidine-thiazole-isooxazoline (PTI) product. Despite extensive structural modification focused on OXA, very few analogs with improved fungicidal activity have been identified to date.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, a series of OXA derivatives were designed and synthesized by introducing a flexible acetal fragment into OXA. The compounds B3 and B5 respectively exhibited excellent 77.78% and 94.44% control efficiency against cucumber downy mildew (CDM) at 0.02 mg/L concentration. The field trials showed that compounds B3 and B5 took on higher control efficiency than OXA at the same concentration. The result of environmental toxicological risk assessment indicated that compounds B3 and B5 have lower toxicity to aquatic lives than OXA. Computational chemistry indicated that the binding mode of compound B3 with Phytophthora capsici OSBP (PcOSBP) is similar to that of OXA, and kept the main binding interaction with OSBPs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings suggested that a strategy focused on increasing molecular flexibility could be advantageous for optimizing OSBP inhibitors. The chemical structure of compound B3 may serve as a promising new starting point for the development of further OSBP inhibitors. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural evolution of quinine derivatives for enhanced antifungal potency: key modifications and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis.","authors":"Lihong Fan, Ye Wu, Yining Lei, Yizhou Liu, Mingxuan Li, Chunxia Chen, Hanbao Zhang, Lianxu Shi, Jinsong Peng","doi":"10.1002/ps.70820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70820","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The escalating resistance of phytopathogenic fungi to conventional fungicides, combined with increasing environmental concerns, necessitates the development of novel bioactive agents.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, utilizing the natural product quinine as a lead scaffold, a series of novel 2-aminoquinine derivatives were designed and synthesized via PyBroP-mediated amination. The antifungal activities of these compounds against seven plant pathogens, including Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani), Cytospora chrysosperma (C. chrysosperma), Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum), Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae), Fusarium graminearum (F. graminearum), Sphaeropsis sapinea (S. sapinea), and Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea), were evaluated using the mycelial growth rate method. Among the synthesized derivatives, compound Qed-3 exhibited broad-spectrum efficacy, particularly against S. sapinea with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) value of 0.46 μg mL^-1. In vivo assays further confirmed its superior curative potential against pine shoot blight compared to the commercial fungicide boscalid. Mechanistic investigations, utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealed that compound Qed-3 disrupts the integrity of hyphal cell walls and membranes, leading to electrolyte leakage and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Molecular docking and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analyses provided insights into the binding modes and structural determinants essential for antifungal potency. These findings highlight the potential of 2-arylaminoquinine as a promising and eco-friendly candidate for novel fungicide development. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ASVLB-Net: A lightweight network for multispectral weed segmentation with NDVI-guided adaptive fusion.","authors":"Zhengtong Dong, Zhenhua Mu, Jie Ji, Chuanming Song, Jianjun Wang, Zumin Wang","doi":"10.1002/ps.70881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70881","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accurate crop-weed segmentation is critical for precision spraying but is hindered by visual similarity and occlusion. This study aims to develop a lightweight yet high-accuracy multispectral segmentation network to address these challenges.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We propose ASVLB-Net, a novel lightweight multiscale feature extraction network guided by normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) priors for crop-weed segmentation in multispectral imagery. First, we design the Adaptive Spectral-Vegetation Fusion (ASVF) module at the input stage. It achieves adaptive allocation of spectral and spatial features, enhancing the discriminability of vegetation regions. Additionally, we adopt a U-shaped architecture based on the Layer-wise Concatenated Multi-Scale Feature (LCMF) encoder. It efficiently extracts fine-grained features and boundary information with low computational cost. Finally, we use the Bottleneck -SCSA (Spatial and Channel Synergistic Attention) module to capture long-range dependencies, improving segmentation in overlapping areas. Experimental results demonstrate that ASVLB-Net achieves a mean intersection over union (mIOU) of 86.5% and a mean precision of 91.89%, outperforming several state-of-the-art (SOTA) models, while maintaining high efficiency with only 0.47 million parameters.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The ASVLB-Net significantly improves segmentation accuracy and robustness in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imagery, offering a robust solution for precision weeding applications. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Volatiles from Momordica charantia L. fruits and leaves attract Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett).","authors":"Jingjing Wang, Jinhua Li, Ruwen Li, Yunshuang Deng, Yang Yue, Zhenya Tian, Guangmei Chen, Weihua Ma, Zhongshi Zhou","doi":"10.1002/ps.70877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70877","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a significant pest of cucurbit crops, and its ovipositing females cause direct damage to fruits. However, existing management strategies primarily target the male population, leaving a critical gap in female-specific control measures. Plant-derived volatiles are environmentally sustainable alternatives for developing behavior-based pest-management tools.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The volatiles of the preferred host plant, bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), were characterized qualitatively and semiquantitatively using headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) under targeted sampling conditions. A total of 48 fruit and 44 leaf volatiles were identified, with 28 compounds common to both tissues. Electroantennography (EAG) screenings revealed dose-dependent female antennal responses to 13 compounds, six of which (terpinen-4-ol, trans-verbenol, α-terpineol, 1-decanal, β-caryophyllene and perillaldehyde) exhibited consistent female-specific attraction in behavioral assays. A synthetic six-component blend (each at 10 μg μL^-1 in a 1:1:1:1:1:1 ratio) demonstrated a significantly stronger attraction than any individual compound did. Further optimization yielded an optimized four-component formulation comprising terpinen-4-ol, perillaldehyde, trans-verbenol and β-caryophyllene (each at 10 μg μL^-1 in a 1:1:1:1 ratio), which effectively attracted both male and female Z. cucurbitae.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This plant-based volatile blend offers a targeted candidate attractant with strong potential for subsequent field development for sustainable management of Z. cucurbitae. The six-component blend exhibited potent female-specific attraction, addressing the current control gap for female melon flies, whereas the optimized four-component formulation achieved effective dual-sex attraction and provided a practical tool for integration into monitoring and mass-trapping programs. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":218,"journal":{"name":"Pest Management Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}