Male leafhopper’s choice behavior in response to different maize and conspecific cues

The corn leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis (Delong and Wolcott) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is asignificant pest of maize (Zea mays L.) across the Americas, particularly noted for its role intransmitting various phytopathogens. Although direct damage from sap ingestion isminimal, the economic impact of these pathogens has been severe, resulting in substantialyield losses. Despite the pest’s agricultural importance, little research has focused on itsolfactory selection and the potential influence of volatile cues from host plants orconspecifics. This study investigated whether male D. maidis preferentially chose volatilesemitted from maize plants, conspecifics, or a combination of both. Behavioral observationscarried out in a four-armed olfactometer revealed that male leafhoppers spent significantlymore time in the arm containing the scent of both sexes than the arm with the scent of othermales, although responses to female scents were not significantly different acrosstreatments. We also did not found differences regarding the number of choices for thescented arm and the visit duration in response to different stimuli from plants. The resultsindicate a generally neutral choice towards the tested volatiles, suggesting that D. maidismales may rely more on other sensory inputs for host selection. This research lays thefoundation for future studies on the chemical ecology of D. maidis, with implications fordeveloping innovative pest management strategies