Olfactory and Trail-Following Responses of Coptotermes curvignathus to Selected Plant Leaf Extracts
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang 50229, Central Java, Indonesia
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang 50229, Central Java, Indonesia
- 3Undergraduate Program, Biology Department, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang 50229, Central Java, Indonesia
- 4Papua New Guinea University of Technology, School of Forestry, Lae City 113, Papua New Guinea
Abstract
Subterranean termites, particularly Coptotermes curvignathus, are destructive pests that cause serious damage to wood, crops, plantation commodities, and building structures. The development of plant-based semiochemicals may provide an environmentally friendly alternative for termite management by utilizing natural compounds that influence termite orientation behavior. This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory and trail-following responses of C. curvignathus workers to selected plant leaf extracts and to identify their potential roles as attractants, repellents, or trail-disrupting agents. Leaves of cajuput, eucalyptus, citronella, pine, and tea tree were extracted using 70% ethanol, concentrated by rotary evaporation, and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Olfactory responses were tested using a Y-tube olfactometer, while trail-following behavior was evaluated using a Y-shaped filter paper assay. Each treatment was replicated 15 times using different worker termites, and the data were analyzed using the chi-square test. The highest olfactory response was observed in cajuput extract (80.00%), followed by eucalyptus (60.00%), pine (53.33%), tea tree (40.00%), and citronella (33.33%). In the trail-following assay, cajuput produced the highest positive response (93.33%), followed by pine (80.00%), eucalyptus (53.33%), tea tree (33.33%), and citronella (26.66%). GC-MS analysis showed that cajuput was dominated by α-pinene and 1,8-cineole, while citronella contained geraniol and citronellol, compounds associated with repellent activity. These findings indicate that plant-derived volatile monoterpenes influence termite orientation and trail-following behavior. This research supports SDG 12 and SDG 15 by promoting plant-based termite management and reducing reliance on synthetic termiticides.
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BibTeX
@article{subekti2026olfactory,
title = {{Olfactory and Trail-Following Responses of Coptotermes curvignathus to Selected Plant Leaf Extracts}},
author = {Niken Subekti and Sonika Maulana and Ahmad Naharuddin Ramadhan and Putri Nabila and Yusuf Sudo Hadi},
journal = {Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology \& Biology Education},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.15294/biosaintifika.v18i2.49378},
url = {https://doi.org/10.15294/biosaintifika.v18i2.49378},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Olfactory and Trail-Following Responses of Coptotermes curvignathus to Selected Plant Leaf Extracts
AU - Niken Subekti
AU - Sonika Maulana
AU - Ahmad Naharuddin Ramadhan
AU - Putri Nabila
AU - Yusuf Sudo Hadi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
JO - Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education
DO - 10.15294/biosaintifika.v18i2.49378
UR - https://doi.org/10.15294/biosaintifika.v18i2.49378
AB - Subterranean termites, particularly Coptotermes curvignathus, are destructive pests that cause serious damage to wood, crops, plantation commodities, and building structures. The development of plant-based semiochemicals may provide an environmentally friendly alternative for termite management by utilizing natural compounds that influence termite orientation behavior. This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory and trail-following responses of C. curvignathus workers to selected plant leaf extracts and to identify their potential roles as attractants, repellents, or trail-disrupting agents. Leaves of cajuput, eucalyptus, citronella, pine, and tea tree were extracted using 70% ethanol, concentrated by rotary evaporation, and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Olfactory responses were tested using a Y-tube olfactometer, while trail-following behavior was evaluated using a Y-shaped filter paper assay. Each treatment was replicated 15 times using different worker termites, and the data were analyzed using the chi-square test. The highest olfactory response was observed in cajuput extract (80.00%), followed by eucalyptus (60.00%), pine (53.33%), tea tree (40.00%), and citronella (33.33%). In the trail-following assay, cajuput produced the highest positive response (93.33%), followed by pine (80.00%), eucalyptus (53.33%), tea tree (33.33%), and citronella (26.66%). GC-MS analysis showed that cajuput was dominated by α-pinene and 1,8-cineole, while citronella contained geraniol and citronellol, compounds associated with repellent activity. These findings indicate that plant-derived volatile monoterpenes influence termite orientation and trail-following behavior. This research supports SDG 12 and SDG 15 by promoting plant-based termite management and reducing reliance on synthetic termiticides.
SN - 2085-191X
SN - 2338-7610
ER -