Exploring Plant-Herbivore Interactions Based on Chemical Ecology

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Pest and Disease Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2022) | Viewed by 2195

Special Issue Editors


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Laboratory of Botanical Application, PostGraduate Program in General Biology/Bioprospecting and PostGraduate Program in Entomology and Biodiversity Conservation, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Dourados 79800-000, Brazil
Interests: phagodeterrent; biological activities; antibiosis; bioinsecticide; antifeedant; antixenosis.
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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Medicinal Plants, PostGraduate Program in General Biology/Bioprospecting and Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados UFGD, Dourados 79804-970, MS, Brazil
Interests: natural products; medicinal plants; biological activity; essential oil; phenolic; flavonoid; alkaloids; chemical composition
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phytochemical variation among plant species is one of the most fascinating and perplexing features of the natural world, and has implications for the functioning of ecosystems. A key area of phytochemical variation research has focused on insects that feed on plants, as well as the enormous diversity of plant-derived compounds that reduce or deter damage by insects. Empirical studies on the ecology and evolution of these chemically mediated plant–insect interactions have been guided by a long history of theoretical development. Secondary metabolites can accumulate to significant levels within the tissues of plants undergoing herbivore attack. These can act as attractants and repellents, causing physiological and morphological changes in insects, capable of inhibiting food consumption by larvae, as well as reducing larval emergence and reducing or blocking female oviposition. The goal of the search for novel plant-derived extracts and plant molecules that exhibit activity against several types of insects is to develop alternatives to conventional insecticides, with reduced negative impacts on the environment. The objective of this Special Issue topic is to analyze plant responses to herbivore attack, and/or on the development and reproduction of the insect, in order to explore plant–herbivore interactions. We would like to take this opportunity to invite contributions from experts in this field, or related fields, of research. We encourage submissions of original articles, as well as reviews or mini-reviews, on basic and applied research, innovations and future directions in this research area. Studies based on field, semi-field or laboratory experiments involving aspects of the relationship between insects and plants, with emphasis on changes in the biological and behavioral characteristics of insects arising from secondary plant metabolites, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Rosilda Mara Mussury
Prof. Dr. Anelise Samara Nazari Formagio
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • insect herbivores
  • defense response
  • plant–insect interactions
  • secondary metabolites
  • plant volatiles

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

10 pages, 3046 KiB  
Article
Tradescantia pallida (Commelinaceae) Promotes Reductions in Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) Populations
by Aline do Nascimento Rocha, Silvana Aparecida de Souza, Claudemir Antonio Garcia Fioratti, Juliana Rosa Carrijo Mauad, Munir Mauad and Rosilda Mara Mussury
Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2646; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112646 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1810
Abstract
The feeding activity of Plutella xylostella in brassica crops can lead to large losses; thus, pesticides that prevent feeding during the larval stage or prevent the metamorphosis of this insect can be used for its control. In this study, the effects of two [...] Read more.
The feeding activity of Plutella xylostella in brassica crops can lead to large losses; thus, pesticides that prevent feeding during the larval stage or prevent the metamorphosis of this insect can be used for its control. In this study, the effects of two types of aqueous extracts of Tradescantia pallida on the different life stage of P. xylostella cycle were tested; neither of the two aqueous extracts, which were obtained by infusion and maceration, had been tested against P. xylostella. The biological variables evaluated were larval and pupal duration and viability, pupal weight, sex ratio, longevity of females, fecundity, fertility and oviposition period. There was no significant difference in the duration of the larval phase of P. xylostella between the bioassay treatments; however, larval viability was lower when the individuals were exposed to both types of T. pallida extracts. Reduced pupal viability was observed among the individuals treated with the application of the extracts. Treatment with the aqueous extract obtained by infusion caused the lowest pupal weight, fecundity, and fertility and longevity among females. The results obtained in this study allow us to propose the bioextract as an alternative for pest management, emphasizing the technique for small producers and/or organic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Plant-Herbivore Interactions Based on Chemical Ecology)
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