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Thirteen volatile compounds were identified from Flemingia macrophylla plants. Eight major components significantly attracted the tea green leafhoppers, Empoasca flavescens F. Based on their relative abundances, following synthetic blends were made for field experiments: 1) eight-component-attractant blend included Z-3-hexen-1-ol, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-ocimene, MeSA, Z-3-hexenyl butyrate, dodecane, hexadecane and nonanal at 10, 10, 1, 11, 2, 6, 2 and 4 mg mL−1 in n-hexane, respectively; 2) four-component-attractant blend #1 contained hexadecane, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-3-hexen-1-ol and nonanal at 2, 10, 10 and 4 mg mL−1 in n-hexane, respectively; 3) four-component-attractant blend #2 contained hexadecane, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, Z-3-hexen-1-ol and MeSA at 2, 10, 10 and 11 mg mL−1 in n-hexane, respectively. Thymol and 1-methoxy-4-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-benzene, identified from Lavandula angustifolia aeration samples, significantly repelled the leafhopper as strong repellents when tested alone or in combination at 10 mg mL−1. For field bioassays, each attractant lure was attached to a bud green sticky board hung from a bamboo stick at above tea plant level for catching the leafhoppers, whereas the repellent dispenser was tied to a tea branch inside tea clump for pushing the leafhoppers away from tea clumps. The results showed that the eight-component-attractant blend caught similar numbers of the leafhopper as did the four-component-attractant blend #1 at about 53–79 leafhoppers/trap/day, which were significantly higher than those on the hexane-control bud green sticky boards. Average leafhopper catches from un-baited sticky boards were about 51–73 leafhoppers/trap/day when pushed by the repellents placed inside tea plants, with the two-component-repellent blend being more effective than their single components. When the two-component-repellent blend was further tested with the three attractant blends in a push-pull fashion, average trap catches ranged from 62 to 92 leafhoppers/trap/day. Control efficacy on the leafhoppers within the push-pull zones increased progressively from day 1 (43%) to day 5 (73%). This push-pull approach might have a great potential as a green control strategy for combating the tea green leafhoppers.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) on hepatic damage and testicular toxicity in male mice exposed to daily oral administration of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). A mouse model was used to assess the effects of daily intraperitoneal EGCG injection on hepatic and testicular damage. Histological and mitochondrial membrane potential results revealed that EGCG treatment significantly arrested the progression of hepatic damage. EGCG treatment resulted in significant suppression of liver injury (i.e., reduced activities of alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]). The development of DEHP-induced hepatic and testicular damage altered the testosterone concentration in mouse serum, which could affect the reproductive ability of male mice. Moreover, EGCG treatment markedly attenuated testes lesions, sperm deformity, and spermatogenic cell apoptosis. At the molecular level, hepatic CYP3A4 expression was substantially reduced by EGCG treatment in mice exposed to DEHP compounds, whereas testicular aromatase expression was increased significantly in testes. Thus, these results demonstrate that EGCG administration may protect against liver damage and reproductive toxicity in males exposed to DEHP.

Electrophysiological and behavioral responses of the wingless tea aphid, Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer), to 14 synthetic volatiles identified from tea shoots, their partial (GLV mixture) and full (ACB mixture) blends, and fresh young tea leaves, buds, tender stems, adult tea leaves and tea aphid-damaged young leaves (ADYL) were studied by using an electroantennography (EAG) and a four-arm olfactometer. ACB elicited the largest EAG responses. Major volatile components, Z -3-hexen-1-ol, E -2-hexenal, n-hexanol, methyl salicylate and benzylalcohol, from the tea shoots were strongly EAG active. All the 4 tested tea shoot tissues also elicited significant EAG responses, with the young tea leaves being the strongest, followed by buds, tender stems and adult tea leaves. Surprisingly, ADYL elicited a weakly negative EAG response. In the olfactory assays, the fresh and tender tea leaves, as well as the individual major volatile components, e.g. Z -3-hexenyl acetate, methyl salicylate, E -2-hexen-1-ol and Z -3-hexen-1-ol, from the tender shoots (EAG-active) were all attractive. This result might indicate that the wingless tea aphids may use tea shoot volatiles as kairomone to find their optimal feeding sites, e.g. fresh tender tea shoots.

The probing behaviors of the tea green leafhopper, Empoasca vitis (Gothe), on 9 tea cultivars were studied using video-text Direct Current-Electrical Penetration Graph, i.e., DC-EPG. The following 7 types of waveforms produced by the leafhopper stylet probing were determined: A, stylet pathway formation; S, salivation when stylets pierce into and stay in phloems; C, active ingestion before stylets reach phloems; E and F, passive ingestion in phloems; R, the insect resting with its stylet inserted into the leaf tissue and NP without probing. The 9 tested tea cultivars were categorized into 3 groups by the cluster analysis according to the number of probes per insect, waveform durations, or duration per probe of various waveforms on different tea cultivars. Waveforms S, E and F correlated to the main feeding activity of the leafhopper and may provide valuable information on predicting the resis-tance level of the tea plants to the leafhopper. The resistance level of the 9 tea cultivars to the leafhopper was ranked based on the durations of waveforms S, E and F, as well as the duration per probe including various waveforms. The ranking order of the resis-tance was: Longjingchangye > Hangdan > Zhenghedabaicha > Qianmei 601 > Hongyafoshuo > Zhongcha 102 > Zhongcha 302 > Longjing 43 > Anjibaicha, which corresponded to the resistance level determined by the population density (infestation) of the leaf-hopper on the 9 tea cultivars in the tea fields. Our study suggests that this simple and convenient DC-EPG technique might have great potential as a reliable tool to predict the resistance of tea cultivars to the tea leafhopper.

The rhythm of honeydew excretion by the tea aphid Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer) and its attraction to following 9 species (or subspecies) of beneficial insects, Aphidius sp., Chrysopa sinica Tjeder, Chrysopa septempunctata Wesmael, Sphaerophoria menthastri L., Coccinella septempunctata L., Leis axyridis (Pallas) ab. bimaculata Hemmelmann, L . axyridis (Pallas) ab. conspicua Faldermaenn, L. axyridis (Pallas) var. spectabilis Faldermaenn and L. axyridis (Pallas) var. novemdecimpunctata Faldermaenn, were investigated. Forty-five wingless virginoparae nymphs, reproduced by the same wingless virginogenia adult within 1 h, were introduced onto tea seedlings with one aphid per seedling. The honeydews excreted from different instars of nymphs and adults were collected under 21°C, 85% RH, 3500 lx and 12 L:12 D photoperiod. It took 32.4 d ±5.8 d for the tested tea aphids to complete the development of their nymph and adult stages, during which 325.6±35.8 droplets (ca. 41.98 μl ±6.14 μl and 45.34 mg ± 8.76 mg) of honeydews were secreted. During the 1st and 4th instars, there was a logistic regression relationship between the amount of honeydews excreted and the time (days). The honeydew secretion during the first two instars was less than that from the later instars. Adult aphids survived for 22.0 d ± 0.0 d, and excreted 176.31 ± 22.38 droplets (ca. 30.38 μl ± 5.32 μl) of honeydews in a rate of 1 drop per ca. 30–50 min for 5–8 h with a pause for 2–5 h before next secretion series. A batch of forty-five virginoparae female adults, reproduced by the same virginoparae female adult within 1 h, were introduced onto the tea seedlings (one aphid/seedling) under 13–21°, 85% RH, 3500 lx and 12 L:12 D photoperiod. Temperature showed a significant effect on the amounts of honeydews excreted within the range of 13–21°. Honeydews excreted by the aphids significantly increased the searching and retention time of the tested 9 species of natural enemies in a positive dose-response fashion. The searching times of Aphidius sp. and S. menthastri were the longest and the shortest, respectively, among all the 9 species, while the searching and retention time of L. axyridis (Pallas) var. spectabilis was the longest among the four varieties of L. axyridis . Tea aphid oneydew is considered as an important contact kairomone for the tested natural enemies.