Bionomics of the acarophagous ladybird beetle Stethorus tridens fed Tetranychus evansi
Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Date
8-26-2020
Abstract
Plant root chemistry is altered by the parasitism of plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN). Here, we investigated the influence of the infective stage juveniles (J2) of Meloidogyne javanica in inducing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) root volatiles and chemotactic effect on conspecifics. In olfactometer assays, J2 avoided the roots of 2-day infected plants but preferred 7-day-infected tomato compared to healthy plants. Chemical analysis showed a 2-7-fold increase in the amounts of monoterpenes emitted from tomato roots infected with M. javanica relative to healthy roots. In further bioassays, the monoterpenes β-pinene, (+)-(2)-carene, α-phellandrene, and β-phellandrene differentially attracted (51-87%) J2 relative to control. Concurrent reduction and increase in the levels of methyl salicylate and (Z)-methyl dihydrojasmonate, respectively, in the root volatiles reduced J2 responses. These results demonstrate that the host plant can alter its root volatile composition to inhibit PPN attack. The observed plant-produced inhibition of J2 warrants further investigation as a potential management tool for growers.
Keywords
chemotaxis, Meloidogyne javanica, root volatiles, Solanum lycopersicum
PubMed ID
32786872
Recommended Citation
Kihika, R., Tchouassi, D., Ng'Ang'A, M., Hall, D., Beck, J., & Torto, B. (2020). Bionomics of the acarophagous ladybird beetle Stethorus tridens fed Tetranychus evansi. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 68 (34), 9100-9109. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c03386