Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2016) 10, 419-428

Aline Moreira Dias, Martín Pareja, Maycon Laia, Maria Carolina Blassioli-Moraes, Miguel Borges and Raúl A. Laumann (2016)
Attraction of Telenomus podisi to volatiles induced by Euschistus heros in three different plant species
Arthropod-Plant Interactions 10 (5), 419-428
Abstract: Specialized natural enemies that forage for polyphagous hosts need to locate hosts on different plants. Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is a stink bug egg parasitoid with a preference for Euschistus heros (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae), a polyphagous species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the induction of defences in three E. heros host plants: maize (Zea mays), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan). We hypothesized that E. heros damage to these three plants enhances the attraction of the parasitoid T. podisi as has been observed in other systems. Using Y-tube olfactometer bioassays, we tested parasitoid responses to combinations of the following odour sources: clean air, undamaged plants and plants damaged by stink bug feeding. Volatiles were collected by means of dynamic headspace collection and analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. T. podisi did not distinguish odours from undamaged plants against air for any of the three plant species. For maize, the parasitoid preferred the odour from herbivore-damaged plants over both clean air and undamaged plants. For sunflower, the parasitoid only preferred the odour of herbivore-damaged plants over the odour of undamaged plants. For pigeon pea, no preferences were observed. Quantitative differences in the volatile profile of damaged and undamaged plants were observed in each plant species. We conclude that sunflower and maize plants, when damaged by E. heros, release volatiles that attract the parasitoid T. podisi; the parasitoid appears to use a different blend composition to distinguish herbivore-damaged plants of each species.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Raúl Alberto Laumann, Maria Carolina Blassioli-Moraes, Miguel Borges

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Euschistus heros	Maize/corn (Zea mays)
	Euschistus heros	Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
	Euschistus heros	Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan)
Telenomus podisi (parasitoid)	Euschistus heros