Ecology Letters (2004) 7, 337-345

Yao-Bin Lu, Shu-Sheng Liu, Yin-Quan Liu, Michael J. Furlong and Myron P. Zalucki (2004)
Contrary effects of jasmonate treatment of two closely related plant species on attraction of and oviposition by a specialist herbivore
Ecology Letters 7 (4), 337-345
Abstract: Elevated jasmonic acid (JA) concentrations in response to herbivory can induce wounded plants to produce defences against herbivores. In laboratory and field experiments we compared the effects of exogenous JA treatment to two closely related cabbage species on the host-searching and oviposition preference of the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella. JA-treated Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris) was less attractive than untreated Chinese cabbage to ovipositing DBM, while JA-treatment of common cabbage (B. oleracea) made plants more attractive than untreated controls for oviposition by this insect. Similar effects were observed when plants of the two species were damaged by DBM larvae. In the absence of insect-feeding, or JA application, Chinese cabbage is much more attractive to DBM than common cabbage. Inducible resistance therefore appears to occur in a more susceptible plant and induced susceptibility appears to occur in a more resistant plant, suggesting a possible balance mechanism between constitutive and inducible defences to a specialist herbivore.
(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): Myron P. Zalucki, Shu-Sheng Liu, Michael J. Furlong

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Plutella xylostella	Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)
	Plutella xylostella	Brassica - other species