Abstract: [Objective] The apple buprestid beetle, Agrilus mali (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is one of the most serious trunk borers in economic forests and has caused destructive damage for Malus sieversii in Xinjiang wild apple forests in recent years. The new preventive and control measures are urgently needed to develop. The objective of this study was to clarify suitable host plants for its adult supplemental feeding and analyze plant leaf volatiles involved in the process.[Method] In this study, four plant species (i.e., Malus halliana, Malus domestica, Pyrus betulifolia and Amygdalus persica) were used to determine its feeding preference and we also analyzed the composition of leaf volatiles from the four species with dynamic headspace collecting procedures and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS).[Result] The results showed that there were significant differences in host selection and feeding amount of A. mail adult on the above mentioned four species. Adults of A. mali preferred to feed on leaves of M. halliana over M. domestica, and the two species in the genus of Malus were preferred compared to P. betulifolia or A. persica. A. mali adults consumed more leavesof M. halliana than those of M. domestica. It was not found that A. mali adults consumed P. betulifolia or A. persica leaves. In addition, the results from GC-MS analyses indicated that there were significant differences in leaf volatile composition and contents among the four species. A total of 71 volatile components were identified, including five alkanes, two ethers, eight alcohols, two ketones, nine aldehydes, 22 esters, 3 alkenes and 20 terpenoids. Factor analysis showed that factor 1, 2 and 3 explained 41.98%, 31.82% and 19.83% of the total variance, respectively; M. domestica, A. persica and M. halliana contributed the most to the first three factors, respectively.[Conclusion] Both M. halliana and M. domestica were suitable hosts for A. mali adults supplemental feeding, whereas P. betulifolia or A. persica was not suitable. The unique volatile components from the four species, such as (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, (E, E)-α-farnesene, (E)-nerolidol, β-caryophyllene, (Z)-3-hexenyl hexanoate and linalool, might play important roles in the process of A. mali adults orientation of host plants, however their specific roles need to be further explored through electroantennogram and olfactometer behavior assays, as well as field studies.

Key words: Agrilus mali, maturation feeding, host selection, leaf volatiles, factor analysis