The cigarette beetle, (F.), presents a significant management challenge as a stored product pest. The beetle's increasing resistance to conventional fumigants necessitates the search for alternative solutions to mitigate losses in agro-based industries. Here, we constructed a small molecule compounds library containing twenty-eight methyl benzoate-related compounds (MBCs) and evaluated their repellent and toxic effects against cigarette beetles by Y-tube olfactometer behavioral assays, free-choice box assays and fumigation assays. We found that six MBCs (methyl 3-methoxybenzoate, methyl benzoate, methyl 3-formylbenzoate, methyl 2-aminopyridine-3-carboxylate, methyl 2-aminobenzoate and methyl 4-amino-2-methoxybenzoate) act as repellents for cigarette beetles. Notably, methyl benzoate (MeBA) was effective across a broader range of concentrations (200–4000 ppm) compared to other MBCs. Four compounds (methyl 3-formylbenzoate, methyl 2-aminopyridine-3-carboxylate, methyl 2-aminobenzoate and methyl 4-amino-2-methoxybenzoate) required higher minimum concentrations (500–4000 ppm) than MeBA for repellence, while methyl 3-methoxybenzoate was effective at a concentration (10 ppm) lower than that for MeBA. Mixtures of MeBA with methyl 3-methoxybenzoate and methyl 3-formylbenzoate enhanced the repellent effect against cigarette beetles when compared to MeBA alone. Additionally, exposure to varying concentrations of MeBA, methyl 3-methoxybenzoate, methyl 3-formylbenzoate, and methyl 2-aminobenzoate resulted in 100% mortality of cigarette beetles. Our findings indicate that specific MBCs offer the potential for their use as repellents and fumigants for this problematic stored product pest.

中文翻译：

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苯甲酸甲酯相关化合物作为潜在的驱虫剂和熏蒸剂用于控制烟草甲虫 Lasioderma serricorne (F.)

卷烟甲虫 (F.) 作为一种储存产品害虫，提出了重大的管理挑战。甲虫对传统熏蒸剂的抵抗力不断增强，因此需要寻找替代解决方案来减轻农业工业的损失。在这里，我们构建了一个包含 28 种苯甲酸甲酯相关化合物 (MBC) 的小分子化合物库，并通过 Y 管嗅觉计行为测定、自由选择盒测定和熏蒸测定评估了它们对卷烟甲虫的驱避和毒性作用。我们发现六种MBC（3-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯、苯甲酸甲酯、3-甲酰基苯甲酸甲酯、2-氨基吡啶-3-甲酸甲酯、2-氨基苯甲酸甲酯和4-氨基-2-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯）可作为香烟甲虫的驱避剂。值得注意的是，与其他 MBC 相比，苯甲酸甲酯 (MeBA) 在更广泛的浓度范围 (200–4000 ppm) 中有效。四种化合物（3-甲酰基苯甲酸甲酯、2-氨基吡啶-3-甲酸甲酯、2-氨基苯甲酸甲酯和 4-氨基-2-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯）需要比 MeBA 更高的最低浓度（500–4000 ppm）才能实现排斥性，而 3-甲氧基苯甲酸酯在比 MeBA 低的浓度 (10 ppm) 下有效。与单独的 MeBA 相比，MeBA 与 3-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯和 3-甲酰基苯甲酸甲酯的混合物增强了对香烟甲虫的驱避效果。此外，暴露于不同浓度的 MeBA、3-甲氧基苯甲酸甲酯、3-甲酰基苯甲酸甲酯和 2-氨基苯甲酸甲酯会导致香烟甲虫 100% 死亡。我们的研究结果表明，特定的 MBC 有可能用作这种有问题的储存产品害虫的驱避剂和熏蒸剂。