The role of chemoreception in host plant selection by the lesser chestnut weevil, Curculio sayi

The primary pest of commercial chestnut production in the United States is the lesser chestnut weevil, Curculio sayi. This insect is highly host-specific, ovipositing only in the nuts of trees within the genus Castanea (which includes chestnut and chinquapin). Due to the devastation of the American chestnut populations by an introduced blight in the early 20th century, replantings of blight resistant Chinese chestnut have provided a fragmented host range. The role of plant-released semiochemicals was examined in this plant-insect interaction for attraction by measuring both behavioral and electrophysiological responses to plant tissues from the host tree.