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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 34527

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Dr. Francisco Rubén Badenes-Pérez

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Guest Editor

Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural Sciences (CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain
Interests: plant–insect interactions; agroecology; biological control conservation; pollinator conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The topic of plant–insect interactions includes a wide range of relationships, such as herbivory, insect pollination, and plant provision of food and shelter to insects. Plant–insect interactions are also influenced by their surrounding environment, which affects both plants and insects. The chemistry and structure of plants provides defense mechanisms against insect herbivores, attracting also parasitoids and predators of insect herbivores. Plant secondary metabolites can also be used by specialized insects for their own benefit. Entomophilous flowers attract pollinators searching for nectar and pollen. Some plants can also provide shelter to insects that feed on other plants or on other organisms. The interaction between plants and insects is continuously shaped through coevolution. In this Special Issue, we welcome articles focusing on any of the numerous aspects of plant–insect interactions.

Dr. Francisco Rubén Badenes-Pérez
Guest Editor

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Keywords

entomophily
herbivory
host–plant selection
insect pollination
plant chemistry
plant–insect interactions

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

4 pages, 242 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Plant-Insect Interactions

by Francisco Rubén Badenes-Pérez

Plants 2022, 11(9), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091140 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2178

Abstract

The central part of the study of plant-insect interactions comes from our quest for knowledge on why and how these interactions occur [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

33 pages, 2967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Glucosinolate Induction and Resistance to the Cabbage Moth, Mamestra brassicae, Differs among Kale Genotypes with High and Low Content of Sinigrin and Glucobrassicin

by Francisco Rubén Badenes-Pérez and María Elena Cartea

Plants 2021, 10(9), 1951; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091951 - 18 Sep 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3262

Abstract

The cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a generalist insect pest of cruciferous crops. We tested glucosinolate induction by jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), and by these phytohormones combined with feeding by M. brassicae larvae in four genotypes of kale, Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala (Brassicaceae). The genotypes tested had high glucobrassicin (genotype HGBS), low glucobrassicin (genotype LGBS), high sinigrin (genotype HSIN), and low sinigrin content (genotype LSIN). Application of JA increased indolic and total glucosinolate content in all kale genotypes 1, 3, and 9 days after treatment. For SA-treated plants, glucosinolate induction varied depending on the number of days after treatment and the genotype. Overall, herbivory by M. brassicae accentuated and attenuated the effects of JA and SA, respectively, on plant glucosinolate content. Larvae of M. brassicae gained less weight on leaves from plants treated with JA compared to leaves from control plants and plants treated with SA. In bioassays with leaf discs, a significant reduction of defoliation only occurred in JA-treated plants of the HSIN genotype. This research shows that previous herbivory alters the susceptibility of kale to M. brassicae and that induction of glucosinolates varies among kale genotypes differing in their glucosinolate content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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16 pages, 3615 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological and Chemical Factors Related to Western Flower Thrips Resistance in the Ornamental Gladiolus

by Dinar S. C. Wahyuni, Young Hae Choi, Kirsten A. Leiss and Peter G. L. Klinkhamer

Plants 2021, 10(7), 1384; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071384 - 6 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2561

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms involved in host plant resistance opens the way for improved resistance breeding programs by using the traits involved as markers. Pest management is a major problem in cultivation of ornamentals. Gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus L.) is an economically important ornamental in the Netherlands. Gladiolus is especially sensitive to attack by western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera:Thripidae)). The objective of this study was, therefore, to investigate morphological and chemical markers for resistance breeding to western flower thrips in Gladiolus varieties. We measured thrips damage of 14 Gladiolus varieties in a whole-plant thrips bioassay and related this to morphological traits with a focus on papillae density. Moreover, we studied chemical host plant resistance to using an eco-metabolomic approach comparing the ¹H NMR profiles of thrips resistant and susceptible varieties representing a broad range of papillae densities. Thrips damage varied strongly among varieties: the most susceptible variety showed 130 times more damage than the most resistant one. Varieties with low thrips damage had shorter mesophylls and epidermal cells, as well as a higher density of epicuticular papillae. All three traits related to thrips damage were highly correlated with each other. We observed a number of metabolites related to resistance against thrips: two unidentified triterpenoid saponins and the amino acids alanine and threonine. All these compounds were highly correlated amongst each other as well as to the density of papillae. These correlations suggest that papillae are involved in resistance to thrips by producing and/or storing compounds causing thrips resistance. Although it is not possible to distinguish the individual effects of morphological and chemical traits statistically, our results show that papillae density is an easy marker in Gladiolus-breeding programs targeted at increased resistance to thrips. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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20 pages, 2748 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sown Wildflowers Enhance Habitats of Pollinators and Beneficial Arthropods in a Tomato Field Margin

by Vaya Kati, Filitsa Karamaouna, Leonidas Economou, Photini V. Mylona, Maria Samara, Mircea-Dan Mitroiu, Myrto Barda, Mike Edwards and Sofia Liberopoulou

Plants 2021, 10(5), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10051003 - 17 May 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3252

Abstract

We evaluated the capacity of selected plants, sown along a processing tomato field margin in central Greece and natural vegetation, to attract beneficial and Hymenoptera pollinating insects and questioned whether they can distract pollinators from crop flowers. Measurements of flower cover and attracted pollinators and beneficial arthropods were recorded from early-May to mid-July, during the cultivation period of the crop. Flower cover was higher in the sown mixtures compared to natural vegetation and was positively correlated with the number of attracted pollinators. The sown Glebionis coronaria, Coriandrum sativum, Anethum graveolens, and Fagopyrum esculentum attracted mainly wild bees, which were the most abundant pollinating insects. In the natural vegetation, Rapistrum rugosum attracted mainly honeybees, while Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, and Apiaceae species attracted wild bees. Beneficial arthropod abundance and diversity were higher in the sown mixture. Tomato flowers were visited by a small number of wild bees. Their number was not affected by the distance from the field margin, indicating no distraction effect from the sown or natural vegetation flowering plants. Our results suggest that selected flowering plants can improve the field margin habitats for pollinating insects and beneficial arthropods, but more work is needed to elucidate the effect on crop pollination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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15 pages, 1573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

So Much for Glucosinolates: A Generalist Does Survive and Develop on Brassicas, but at What Cost?

by Verena Jeschke, Jacinta M. Zalucki, Bettina Raguschke, Jonathan Gershenzon, David G. Heckel, Myron P. Zalucki and Daniel G. Vassão

Plants 2021, 10(5), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050962 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3008

Abstract

While plants produce complex cocktails of chemical defences with different targets and efficacies, the biochemical effects of phytotoxin ingestion are often poorly understood. Here, we examine the physiological and metabolic effects of the ingestion of glucosinolates (GSLs), the frontline chemical defenses of brassicas (crucifers), on the generalist herbivore Helicoverpa armigera. We focus on kale and cabbage, two crops with similar foliar GSL concentrations but strikingly different GSL compositions. We observed that larval growth and development were well correlated with the nutritional properties of the insect diets, with low protein contents appearing to exacerbate the negative effects of GSLs on growth, pupation and adult eclosion, parameters that were all delayed upon exposure to GSLs. The different GSLs were metabolized similarly by the insect, indicating that the costs of detoxification via conjugation to glutathione (GSH) were similar on the two plant diets. Nevertheless, larval GSH contents, as well as some major nutritional markers (larval protein, free amino acids, and fat), were differentially affected by the different GSL profiles in the two crops. Therefore, the interplay between GSL and the nitrogen/sulfur nutritional availability of different brassicas strongly influences the effectiveness of these chemical defenses against this generalist herbivore. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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15 pages, 1462 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Generalist Feeding on Brassicaceae: It Does Not Get Any Better with Selection

by Jacinta M. Zalucki, David G. Heckel, Peng Wang, Suyog Kuwar, Daniel G. Vassão, Lynda Perkins and Myron P. Zalucki

Plants 2021, 10(5), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050954 - 11 May 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2731

Abstract

Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) are ostensibly defended in part against generalist insect herbivores by toxic isothiocyanates formed when protoxic glucosinolates are hydrolysed. Based on an analysis of published host records, feeding on Brassicas is widespread by both specialist and generalists in the Lepidoptera. The polyphagous noctuid moth Helicoverpa armigera is recorded as a pest on some Brassicas and we attempted to improve performance by artificial selection to, in part, determine if this contributes to pest status. Assays on cabbage and kale versus an artificial diet showed no difference in larval growth rate, development times and pupal weights between the parental and the selected strain after 2, 21 and 29 rounds of selection, nor in behaviour assays after 50 generations. There were large differences between the two Brassicas: performance was better on kale than cabbage, although both were comparable to records for other crop hosts, on which the species is a major pest. We discuss what determines “pest” status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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12 pages, 8040 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Endophytic Strain Bacillus subtilis 26D Increases Levels of Phytohormones and Repairs Growth of Potato Plants after Colorado Potato Beetle Damage

by Antonina Sorokan, Svetlana Veselova, Galina Benkovskaya and Igor Maksimov

Plants 2021, 10(5), 923; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050923 - 5 May 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2946

Abstract

Plant damage caused by defoliating insects has a long-term negative effect on plant growth and productivity. Consequently, the restoration of plant growth after exposure to pathogens or pests is the main indicator of the effectiveness of the implemented defense reactions. A short-term Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say attack on potato tube-grown plantlets (Solanum tuberosum L.) led to a reduction of both the length and mass of the shoots in 9 days. The decrease of the content of phytohormones—indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), zeatin and zeatin–riboside—in shoots of damaged potato plants was found. Endophytic strain Bacillus subtilis 26D (Cohn) is capable of secreting up to 83.6 ng/mL IAA and up to 150 ng/mL cytokinins into the culture medium. Inoculation of potato plants with cells of the B. subtilis 26D increases zeatin–riboside content in shoots and the mass of roots of undamaged plants, but does not influence content of IAA and ABA and growth of shoots. The presence of B. subtilis 26D in plant tissues promoted a rapid recovery of the growth rates of shoots, as well as the wet and dry mass of roots of plants after the pest attack, which we associate with the maintenance of a high level of IAA, ABA and cytokinins in their tissues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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15 pages, 761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Excessive Nitrogen Fertilization Favors the Colonization, Survival, and Development of Sogatella furcifera via Bottom-Up Effects

by Zaiyuan Li, Bo Xu, Tianhua Du, Yuekun Ma, Xiaohai Tian, Fulian Wang and Wenkai Wang

Plants 2021, 10(5), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050875 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2932

Abstract

Fertilization can trigger bottom-up effects on crop plant–insect pest interactions. The intensive use of nitrogen fertilizer has been a common practice in rice production, while the yield has long been challenged by the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth). High nitrogen fertilization can facilitate S. furcifera infestation, however, how nitrogen fertilizer leads to high S. furcifera infestation and the nutritional interactions between rice and S. furcifera are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of various levels of nitrogen fertilizer application (0–350 kg/ha) on rice, and subsequently on S. furcifera performance. We found that higher nitrogen fertilizer application: (1) increases the preference of infestation behaviors (feeding and oviposition), (2) extends infestation time (adult lifespan), and (3) shortens generation reproduction time (nymph, pre-oviposition, and egg period), which explain the high S. furcifera infestation ratio on rice paddies under high nitrogen conditions. Moreover, high nitrogen fertilizer application increased all tested rice physical indexes (plant height, leaf area, and leaf width) and physiological indexes (chlorophyll content, water content, dry matter mass, and soluble protein content), except for leaf thickness, which was reduced. Correlation analysis indicated that the specific rice physical and/or physiological indexes were conducive to the increased infestation behavior preference, extended infestation time, and shortened generation reproduction time of S. furcifera. The results suggested that nitrogen fertilizer triggers bottom-up effects on rice and increases S. furcifera populations. The present study provides an insight into how excess nitrogen fertilization shapes rice–planthopper interactions and the consequent positive effect on S. furcifera infestation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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16 pages, 2460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tools to Tie: Flower Characteristics, VOC Emission Profile, and Glandular Trichomes of Two Mexican Salvia Species to Attract Bees

by Claudia Giuliani, Manuela Giovanetti, Daniela Lupi, Marco Palamara Mesiano, Renata Barilli, Roberta Ascrizzi, Guido Flamini and Gelsomina Fico

Plants 2020, 9(12), 1645; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121645 - 25 Nov 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3765

Abstract

A plant can combine physical and chemical tools to interact with other organisms. Some are designed for pollinator attraction (i.e., colors and volatile organic compounds-VOCs); others can act to discourage herbivores (i.e., non-glandular trichomes). Few studies fully address available tools in a single species; notwithstanding, this information can be pivotal in understanding new interactions out of the home range. We characterized flower traits, emission profiles of constitutive compounds from flowers and leaves, micro-morphology of the glandular trichomes, and listed flower visitors of two Mexican bird-pollinated Salvia species (S. blepharophylla and S. greggii), growing in an Italian botanical garden. Flowers were highly variable in their morphometric characteristics. In both species, four trichome morphotypes with similar histochemistry and distribution were documented for leaves and flowers except the calyx abaxial side. The vegetative emission profiles were qualitatively more complex than the floral ones; however, common compounds occurring in high relative percentages were β-caryophyllene and germacrene D. Floral bouquets were dominated by limonene and β-pinene in S. greggii and by 1,8-cineole in S. blepharophylla. Two potential (non-bird) pollinators were especially abundant: small bees belonging to the genus Lasioglossum and large bees belonging to the species Xylocopa violacea. Our study highlights the plasticity of these plants, as well as tools that can be conveniently used to establish novel interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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13 pages, 660 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Weather Conditions and Maturity Group Impacts on the Infestation of First Generation European Corn Borers in Maize Hybrids in Croatia

by Renata Bažok, Ivan Pejić, Maja Čačija, Helena Virić Gašparić, Darija Lemić, Zrinka Drmić and Martina Kadoić Balaško

Plants 2020, 9(10), 1387; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101387 - 18 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3156

Abstract

Overwintering success and weather conditions are the key factors determining the abundance and intensity of the attack of the first generation of European corn borers (ECB). The tolerance of maize to the 1st generation of ECB infestation is often considered to be connected with the maize maturity time. The aims of this research were (I) to examine the reactions of different maize FAO maturity groups in term of the damage caused by ECB larvae, (II) to analyze the influence of four climatic regions of Croatia regarding the damage caused by ECB larvae, and (III) to correlate observed damage between FAO maturity groups and weather conditions. First ECB generation damage has been studied in the two-year field trial with 32 different hybrids divided into four FAO maturity groups (eight per group) located at four locations with different climatic conditions. The results showed a lack of correlation between the FAO maturity group and the percent of damage. The percent of damage was positively correlated with the average air temperature in June (r = 0.59 for 2017 and r = 0.74 in 2018, p = 0.0001) within the range from 20 to 24.5 °C and was negatively correlated with the relative air humidity (r = −0.58 in 2017 and r = −0.77 in 2018, p = 0.0001) within the range of 50% to 80%. Our results provide a better understanding of the different factors that influence ECB damage. The obtained data could be used to predict the damage from the first generation of ECB under the weather conditions of different regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Insect Interactions)

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