Some Properties and the Field Evaluation of the Pink Bollworm Sex Attractant1

Abstract

The terminal 2–3 segments of the abdomens of 4- to 5-day-old females were the best source of the sex attractant of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). Males readily responded to the vapors expelled from a glass pipette contaminated with the attractant. The active substance was partially purified by silicic acid column and aluminum oxide thin-layer chromatography. A test showed the attractant could be used to capture pink bollworm males in the field.