Efficacy of an improved method to screen semiochemicals of insect

BACKGROUND: A combination of gas chromatography-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is typically used to screen active compounds that play a role in the regulation of insect behavior. This method uses two kinds of gas chromatography (GC) equipment and needs to compare compounds between the two chromatograms, and it is tedious and costly. To improve detection efficiency, as well as reduce costs and the rate of missed detection, we designed a system connecting gas chromatography (GC), electroantennography (EAG), and mass spectrometry (MS), with MS used instead of the flame ionization detector (FID) as the GC-EAD detector. To verify the feasibility of the improved method, we compare two methods—GC-EAG-MS and GC-EAD—through a series of experiments. Some researchers made similar improvements, but these were not compared with GC-EAD, and their method needed to be improved in the synchronization and split ratio. Our method has been optimized and improved in these aspects. METHODS: Helicoverpa armigera was the test organism; the improved method and conventional method were used to detect known and unknown compounds, as well as screen out active compounds that could generate responses in H. armigera antennae. RESULTS: Screening known single compounds using the two methods, the active compound benzaldehyde was detected in all seven concentrations of solution. By using the two methods, the five same active compounds of Helicoverpa armigera were detected in high concentration solution of the mixed compounds (100 mg L(−1), 50 mg L(−1)); the four same active compounds were detected at 20 mg L(−1) concentration; two identical same compounds were detected in low concentration solution (concentrations of 10 mg L(−1) and below). By using the two methods, six identical active compounds of Helicoverpa armigera were detected in unknown compounds. CONCLUSION: The improved method was consistent with the conventional method in terms of accuracy and sensitivity. However, compared with the traditional methods, Gas chromatography-electroantennographic-mass spectrometry (GC-EAG-MS) saved the cost of GC and FID equipment, thereby greatly lowering the experimental cost. In the experiment, GC-EAG-MS combined the two experimental operations of screening active substances by GC-EAD and identifying active substances by GC-MS into one, which not only reduced the experimental steps, but also avoided the false positive caused by the comparison of the two chromatograms, and it greatly reduced the difficulty level of the overall experimental analysis. GC-EAG-MS is more convenient, efficient, economical, and practical, and could confidently replace traditional methods. With further optimization, it could be widely applied in the study of plant and insect chemical ecology.