| Summary: | Pesticide application is the only known control method for the tea tortrix <i>Archips strojny</i> (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), which is a major pest of spring tea in China. To develop sex pheromone-based, environmentally safe control strategies, here we identified the sex pheromone components of this species. The male moths’ antennae responded electrophysiologically to two compounds in female pheromone gland extracts. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the two bioactive compounds were (<i>Z</i>)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) and (<i>Z</i>)-11-tetradecenyl alcohol (Z11-14:OH). Field trapping assays showed that lures baited with only the major component Z11-14:Ac were the most attractive to male moths, and the attractiveness decreased significantly when the lure was impregnated with increased relative ratios of the minor component Z11-14:OH. Our study demonstrated that Z11-14:Ac was the major attractant in the <i>A. strojny</i> sex pheromone, and the minor component Z11-14:OH seemed to serve as an antagonist. The results indicate that lures baited with 1 mg of Z11-14:Ac could be used as a monitoring or mass trapping tool for <i>A. strojny</i> management in Chinese tea plantations. Furthermore, Z11-14:Ac was identified as a common sex pheromone attractant of nine <i>Archips</i> species; these results lay the foundation for developing mating disruption techniques that target multiple leafroller pests.
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