Objective Populus alba var. pyramidalis is the preferred tree species for the construction of the Protection Forest in northwestern China. However, the long-term single tree species planting has caused the outbreak of the wood borer Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorned beetle, ALB). There was reports that Elaeagnus angustifolia had ‘attract and kill’ effect on ALB, but it was unclear whether it could be used for protecting P. alba var. pyramidalis.

Method In this study, we evaluated the possibility of E. angustifolia for protecting P. alba var. pyramidalis by choice experiments of ALB adults’ response to host leaves and trunks of P. alba var. pyramidalis and E. angustifolia both in the laboratory and in the field. The volatiles could stimulate the electrophysiological responses of female antennae were also screened out from both tested host tree species.

Result 1) When P. alba var. pyramidalis leaves vs E. angustifolia leaves, ALB females preferred E. angustifolia, and accounted for 80.65% of adults made choice, while males did not show significant preference; 2) cis-3-hexen-1-ol and cis-3-hexenyl acetate from P. alba var. pyramidalis, and cis-3-hexen-1-ol, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, 3-carene from E. angustifolia could arise the antennae responses of female; the ratio of cis-3-hexen-1-ol contents between P. alba var. pyramidalis and E. angustifolia was 2.66:1, and the ratio of cis-3-hexenyl acetate contents between two tree species was 1.19:1; The intensity of electrophysiological activity stimulation varied due to their different content; 3) when tested P. alba var. pyramidalis stem vs E. angustifolia stem in the laboratory, the ALB female preferred gnawing egg niche on E. angustifolia and the number of egg niche could reach to 18 ± 1.73 per stem, but the percent of effective oviposition (eggs laid in the egg niche) on the P. Alba var. pyramidalis (75.00%) in the single choice experiment were higher than that on E. angustifolia (58.33%); 4) The cage experiments on the trunk of the host trees in the forest showed that there was no significant difference in the number of egg niches gnawed by females on the two tree species under no selection conditions, but the larvae did not survive on the E. angustifolia trunk.

Conclusion Our results confirmed that the E. angustifolia has a certain degree of attraction to ALB adults, but further researches are requiered to determine whether E. angustifolia can effectively control the ALB population in a certain area.