In this study, 500 samples of Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) were collected, 250 from the above-ground portions and 250 from the below-ground portions of the same plants. For each plant, physical measurements were recorded and a determination of the presence or absence of root-boring insects was made. The samples were then ground and analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy to detect volatiles and High Performance Liquid Chromatography with photodiode array detection at 190-400nm to detect phenolics. Statistical differences in essential oil and phenolic composition between plants that had root-boring insects present and those that did not were examined.
Species 1: Coleoptera Cerambycidae Crossidius pulchellus
Species 2: Coleoptera Curculionidae Myrmex linneolata
Species 3: Compositae Asteraceae Gutierrezia sarothrae (broom snakeweed, woody snakeweed)
Keywords: Phenolics, GCMS
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA