Terpenes from herbivore‐induced tomato plant volatiles attract Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae), a predator of major tomato pests

Abstract

BACKGROUND Biological control plays a key role in reducing crop damage by Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), which cause huge yield losses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The mirid predator Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) preys heavily on these pests, with satisfying control levels in tomato greenhouses. Although N. tenuis is known to be attracted to volatiles of tomato plants infested by T. absoluta and whitefly, little is known about the specific attractive compounds and the effect of prey density on the predator response. RESULTS Y‐tube olfactometer bioassays revealed that the attraction of N. tenuis to tomato volatiles was positively correlated with the density of T. absoluta infestation, unlike T. vaporariorum infestation. The predator was also attracted to volatiles of T. absoluta larval frass, but not to T. vaporariorum honeydew or T. absoluta sex pheromone. Among the herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that characterised the attractive plants infested with 20 T. absoluta larvae, olfactometer bioassays revealed that N. tenuis is attracted to the monoterpenes α‐pinene, α‐phellandrene, 3‐carene, β‐phellandrene and β‐ocimene, whereas (E)‐β‐caryophyllene was found to repel the predator. In dose–response bioassays, the five‐component blend of the attractants elicited a relatively low attraction in the predator, and removal of β‐phellandrene from the blend enhanced the attraction of the predator to the resulting four‐component blend, suggesting synergism among four monoterpenes. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that a four‐component blend of α‐pinene, α‐phellandrene, 3‐carene and β‐ocimene could be used as a kairomone‐based lure to recruit the predator for the biological control of T. absoluta and T. vaporariorum.

Electroantennogram and machine learning reveal a volatile blend mediating avoidance behavior by Tuta absoluta females to a wild tomato plant

“…Moreover, De-Backer et al 57 reported that antennae of the predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) (Hemiptera: Miridae) detect hexanal, α -pinene, and β -phellandrene. In olfactometer bioassays, other natural enemies of T. absoluta such as the parasitoid Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris (March) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were reported to be attracted to α -pinene, α -phellandrene, β -ocimene, methyl salicylate and ( E )- β -caryophyllene 33 , and the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) to α -pinene, α -phellandrene, β -ocimene and δ -3-carene 58 , and to ( Z ) - 3 - hexenol and methyl salicylate 59 . Furthermore, some of the compounds attractive to the natural enemies were emitted in high amounts by the wild tomato plant, suggesting that the use of this tomato in intercropping systems could play a double beneficial role in the control of T. absoluta , through the attraction of the natural enemies and deterrence of oviposition by the moth.…”

Plant defences for enhanced integrated pest management in tomato

“…Similarly, Ayelo et al (2021) found that, among the many HIPV induced by T. absoluta, several monoterpenes are useful to attract the zoophytophagous mirid N. tenuis, while (E)-β-caryophyllene was found to repel it.…”

“…These mechanisms are crucial to understanding the evolution of plant–natural enemy relationships (Sabelis, Janssen, & Kant, 2001; Stahl, Hilfiker, & Reymond, 2018). Through plant induction, HIPVs can make the plant repellent to herbivores (Engelberth, Alborn, Schmelz, & Tumlinson, 2004; Frost, Mescher, Carlson, & De Moraes, 2008) and/or more attractive to natural enemies of pests (Ayelo et al, 2021; Naselli et al, 2016; Pérez‐Hedo, Bouagga, Jaques, Flors, & Urbaneja, 2015). In this context, Conboy et al (2020) analysed tomato HIPVs and selected methyl salicylate (MeSA), a plant elicitor that recognises and triggers intracellular defence signalling in the plant.…”

Plant Volatiles and Herbivore Induced Plant Volatiles from Chili Pepper Act as Attractant of the Aphid Parasitoid Aphelinus varipes (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

“…Parasitoids can change their responses to different doses of volatiles based on their olfactory organs’ sensations during the foraging process [ 54 , 64 ]. The higher doses of HIPVs can result in significantly higher attraction among parasitoids [ 65 , 66 ], and in various cases the higher doses of HIPVs act as repellents as well [ 67 ]. Understanding the foraging behavior of parasitoids in response to chemical cues may be helpful in improving the effectiveness of their control in the field [ 52 , 68 ].…”