Electrophysiological, Behavioral, and Molecular Docking Analyses Reveal Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) Adult's Attraction to Herbivore‐Induced Plant Volatile Compounds

Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) play a crucial role in mediating interactions between plants and insect herbivores. This study integrates chemical ecology and bioinformatics to investigate the electrophysiological and behavioral responses along with molecular docking interactions of selected HIPVs upon Spodoptera frugiperda adults. A total of nine HIPVs were tested, including, β‐caryophyllene, β‐farnesene, β‐myrcene, β‐ocimene, linalool, nonanal, eucalyptol, citronellol, and indole. Electrophysiological and behavioral assays demonstrated that S. frugiperda adults exhibit sex‐specific and dose‐dependent responses to tested HIPVs. Females showed consistently stronger antennal and behavioral response than males, particularly towards nonanal, β‐farnesene, myrcene, and linalool, whereas β‐caryophyllene and β‐ocimene elicited moderate, female‐biased responses. On the other hand, indole, eucalyptol, and citronellol were behaviorally non attractive, lacking significant electrophysiological activity. Molecular docking analysis was further performed to evaluate the binding affinity of these volatiles with four key S. frugiperda odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs), namely, Sfru GOBP1, Sfru GOBP2, Sfru OBP7, and Sfru OBP31. The results revealed that β‐caryophyllene despite eliciting only moderate antennal and behavioral responses displayed high binding affinity (–8.7 kcal/mol) with Sfru OBP31 and Sfru GOBP1 through hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions. However, nonanal, which induced strong electrophysiological activity, showed only moderate binding affinity. These findings highlight the potential role of HIPVs in influencing S. frugiperda behavior through olfactory mechanisms. The combined use of electrophysiological, behavioral, and bioinformatics approaches offers a comprehensive understanding of HIPV‐mediated insect behavior by creating opportunities for sustainable pest management strategies.