We elucidate the mechanism for inducing the production of ovicidal benzyl benzoate by Japonica rice varieties to kill eggs of the whitebacked planthopper, Sogatellafurcifera(Horváth), lying in the rice plant. Even when subjected to physical damage by a needle or damage with water, the rice plant produced no benzyl benzoate. However, significant benzyl benzoate was produced when the plant was damaged with a methanol extract or homogenate of S.furcifera. The extract of the male did not induce the production of benzyl benzoate, but that of the female did. We concluded from these results that benzyl benzoate was induced by some elicitor(s) in the female of S.furcifera.

• Jeong-Oh Yang(Animal Plant Quarantine Agency, Plant Quarantine Technology Center)
• Chul-Sa Kim(Faculty of Agriculture, Kochi University)