image: The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Runzhi Zhang.
Whitefly-infested plants release volatiles that reduce defenses against insect herbivores in neighboring plants, thereby supporting the next generation of whiteflies, a study finds. Upon infestation by whiteflies, which are major invasive pests of crops, plants mobilize salicylic acid-dependent defenses, which target pathogens, while suppressing jasmonic acid-dependent defenses, rendering the plants susceptible to insects. Xiao-Ping Yu and colleagues demonstrate that such host-plant manipulation extends to neighboring plants through airborne signals. Using interconnected glass chambers, the authors exposed healthy tomato plants to volatiles released by other plants that were either uninfested or infested by whiteflies. Compared with plants that had been exposed to volatiles from uninfested plants, plants that had been exposed to volatiles from infested plants were more susceptible to whiteflies. Exposure to airborne signals from infested plants helped accelerate the development of whitefly nymphs and suppressed the production of jasmonic acid, while increasing salicylic acid levels in response to whitefly infestation. Together, the findings suggest that whitefly-infested plants release volatiles that prime a defense against pathogens in neighboring plants, at the cost of defenses against insect herbivores, making the neighboring plants more suitable for whitefly development. According to the authors, the ability of whiteflies to manipulate plant defense through induced volatile emissions might explain the rapid spread of whiteflies, and the findings could help develop effective control strategies.
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Article #18-18599: "Airborne host-plant manipulation by whiteflies via an inducible blend of plant volatiles," by Peng-Jun Zhang et al.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Xiao-Ping Yu, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, CHINA; tel: 86-13957133860; e-mail: <yxp@cjlu.edu.cn>; Ted C. J. Turlings, University of Neuchatel, SWITZERLAND; tel: +41 32 718 3158, +41 76 391 6576; e-mail: <ted.turlings@unine.ch>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences