What is it about?
Silicon (Si) supplementation is well-known for enhancing plant resistance to insect pests, however, only recently studies revealed that Si accumulation in the plant not only confers a mechanical barrier to insect feeding, but also primes jasmonic acid-dependent defenses. Here, we examined whether Si supplementation alters wheat volatile emissions that influence the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) olfactory preference and the aphid parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes. Even though Si accumulation in wheat did not impact aphid performance, we found that R. padi preferred constitutive volatiles from–Si wheat over those emitted by +Si wheat plants. In Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, the parasitoid was attracted to volatiles from +Si uninfested wheat, but not to those from–Si uninfested wheat. +Si and–Si aphid-infested plants released equally attractive blends to the aphid parasitoid; however, wasps were unable to distinguish +Si uninfested plant odors from those of aphid-infested treatments. GC-MS analyses revealed that +Si uninfested wheat plants emitted increased amounts of a single compound, geranyl acetone, compared to -Si uninfested wheat, but similar to those emitted by aphid-infested treatments. By contrast, Si supplementation in wheat did not alter composition of aphid-induced plant volatiles.
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Why is it important?
Our results show that changes in wheat volatile blend induced by Si accumulation mediate the non-preference behavior of the bird cherry-oat aphid and the attraction of its parasitoid L. testaceipes.
Perspectives
Conversely to the literature, Si supplementation by itself seems to work as an elicitor of induced defenses in wheat, and not as a priming agent.
Full Professor José Mauricio Simões Bento
Universidade de Sao Paulo Campus de Piracicaba
Fertilization with Silicon can enhance biological control of pests by augmenting the attraction of natural enemies to crops.
Prof. Dr. Maria Fernanda Peñaflor
Universidade Federal de Lavras
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Silicon-induced changes in plant volatiles reduce attractiveness of wheat to the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi and attract the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes, PLoS ONE, April 2020, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231005.
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