Department of Chemistry and Process Technology, Mid Sweden University, 851 70 Sundsvall, Sweden.
Larvae from especially Neodiprion sertifer, Diprion pini,
Gilpinia frutetorum, Gilpinia pallida, Microdiprion pallipes
and Macrodiprion nemoralis are responsible for the defoliation of large areas in
Europe. Within the frame of a recently concluded EU-project (PHERODIP) we have supplied
synthetic pine sawfly pheromones in order to develop pheromone based control methods for
the diprionid sawflies including monitoring and mass disruption. The pheromones from
diprionid sawflies, identified so far, are chiral, long chain secondary esters with a varying
number of methyl groups in the chain. In most species, only one stereoisomer is the
attractant, while others may have inhibitory effects1. In order to supply
highly pure compounds for biological tests we have developed highly selective synthetic
routes to allow for the preparation of enantiomerically and diastereomerically pure sawfly
pheromones2,3,4.
1O. Anderbrant, J. Löfqvist, E. Hedenström, H.-E. Högberg, M. Bengtsson, G. Magnusson, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 62, 169-181 (1992).
2G. Bergström, A.-B. Wassgren, O. Anderbrant, E. Hedenström J. Fägerhag, H. Edlund, C. Geri, M. Varama, B. S. Hansson , J. Löfqvist, H.-E Högberg, Experientia, 51, (1995) 370-380.
3G. Bergström, A.-B. Wassgren, O. Anderbrant, S. A. Ochieng, F. Östrand E. Hedenström and H.-E. Högberg, Naturwissenschaften, 85 (1998), 244-248.
4S. Karlsson and E. Hedenström, Acta Chem. Scand., 53, 620-630 (1999).