author(s)
P Arunkumar, D Rajabaskar, JS Kennedy, M Muthukumar and R Anandham

abstract
Melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Family: Thripidae; Order: Thysanoptera) is a polyphagous pest and mainly infest on Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Leguminosae plants in tropical countries.An exploratory study was conducted to comprehend the changes in volatile profile of healthy and Watermelon Bud Necrosis Virus (WBNV) infected watermelon plants responsible for thrips attraction. Headspace VOCs emitted from healthy and WBNV infected plants were collected with volatile collection chamber and analyzed by Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Host volatiles recorded with higher area percent influence strong induction of volatiles among other volatiles. The results showed Nonadecane recorded from healthy plants and Piperazine & 2-Pentene, 4,4-dimethyl from WBNV infected plants conveys higher area percent over other volatiles. Majority of host volatiles recorded from both healthy and infected plants belongs to hydrocarbon group of VOCs.