Responses of Herbivore and Predatory Mites to Tomato Plants Exposed to Jasmonic Acid Seed Treatment

• Published in: Journal of chemical ecology Vol. 39; no. 10; pp. 1297 - 1300
• Main Authors: Smart, Lesley E., Martin, Janet L., Limpalaër, Marlène, Bruce, Toby J. A., Pickett, John A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.10.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Arachnida; Autoecology; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Microscopy; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chemical ecology; Cyclopentanes - pharmacology; Ecology; Entomology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Herbivores; Herbivory - drug effects; Invertebrates; Life Sciences; Lycopersicon esculentum - drug effects; Lycopersicon esculentum - metabolism; Lycopersicon esculentum - physiology; Mites - drug effects; Mites - physiology; Oviposition - drug effects; Oxylipins - pharmacology; Plant resistance; Plants and fungi; Predatory Behavior - drug effects; Rapid Communication; Seeds - drug effects; Seeds - metabolism; Seeds - physiology; Tomatoes; Volatile Organic Compounds - metabolism; Induced defense; Herbivore-plant interaction; Multitrophic interaction; Plant volatiles; Seeds; Herbivorous; Acari; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Lycopersicon esculentum; Plant growth substance; Solanaceae; C3-Type; Acid medium; Jasmonic acid; Organic compounds; Volatile compound; Terpenoid; Vegetals; Isoprenoid; Multitrophic interactions; Arachnida; Vegetable crop; Animal plant relation; Arthropoda; Spermatophyta; Predator; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0098-0331; 1573-1561
• DOI: 10.1007/s10886-013-0345-5

Jasmonic acid (JA) signalling can influence plant defense and the production of plant volatiles that mediate interactions with insects. Here, we tested whether a JA seed treatment could alter direct and indirect defenses. First, oviposition levels of herbivorous mites, Tetranychus urticae , on JA seed-treated and control tomato plants were compared. They were not significantly different on tomato cv. ‘Moneymaker’, however, there was a significant reduction in oviposition on treated plants in additional experiments with cv. ‘Carousel’. Second, responses of predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis , were assessed in a Y-tube olfactometer. Volatiles from JA seed-treated tomato cv. ‘Moneymaker’ plants were significantly more attractive than volatiles from control plants. Volatiles collected from plants were analysed by GC/MS, and samples from JA seed-treated plants contained more methyl salicylate and ( E , E )-4,8,12-trimethyl-1,3,7,11-tridecatetraene (TMTT) than samples from control plants. Our results indicate that JA seed treatment can make tomato plants more attractive to predatory mites, but that direct effects on herbivorous mites are variable and cultivar dependent.