abstract airborne volatiles released by melinis minutiflora p. beauv., a non-host plant of the spotted stem borer, chilo partellus (swinhoe), were trapped from the live plant by air entrainment into porous polymer porapak q and analyzed by gc and gc/ms. the main hydrocarbons identified and confirmed by co-injection with authentic samples on two columns of different polarities were (3e)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (28.1% of isolated volatiles) and -caryophyllene (24.2% of isolated votatiles). of these, (3e)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene is electroantenographically active (eag) against chilo partellus (swinhoe).