Abstract
The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a serious pest with an extensive host range. Previous research has shown that B. tabaci is a species complex with many cryptic species or biotypes and that the two most important species are MEAM1 (Middle East-Minor Asia 1) and MED (Mediterranean genetic group). MEAM1 and MED are known to differ in their preference for cabbage, Brassica oleracea, as a host plant, however, the mechanism underlying this preference is unknown. In the current study, a host choice experiment showed that MED prefers to settle and oviposit on undamaged cabbage plants rather than MED-damaged cabbage plants. However, MEAM1 prefers MED-damaged cabbage plants to undamaged plants and does not exhibit a significant preference for undamaged or MEAM1-damaged cabbage plants. On the basis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, the following volatiles were released in larger quantities from Q-damaged cabbage plants than from undamaged plants: 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, benzenemethanol, (E)-2-decenol, benzaldehyde, nonanal, acetic acid geraniol ester, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone, decane, and α-longipinene. Only one volatile, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone, was released in greater quantities from MEAM1-damaged cabbage plants than from undamaged plants. Our results suggest that differences in herbivore-induced host volatile release may help explain the differences between the preference of B. tabaci MEAM1 and MED for cabbage as a host.
Highlights
The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a highly destructive agricultural pest, is a species complex composed of many morphologically indistinguishable biotypes
The preferences of B. tabaci B and Q adults for settling and ovipositing on undamaged cabbage plants vs. cabbage plants damaged by conspecifics and heterospecifics
We have demonstrated that B. tabaci MED prefers undamaged cabbage plants to those damaged by conspecifics
Summary
The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a highly destructive agricultural pest, is a species complex composed of many morphologically indistinguishable biotypes. B. tabaci larvae have very limited mobility, and they rely on maternal choice to determine their host plant[14]. It follows that modification of host plant choice, i.e., of maternal behaviour, could be useful for controlling this pest. Little is known about the mechanism underlying the differences in the selection of cabbage by MEAM1 and MED. We hypothesise that HIPVs may help explain why MEAM1 and MED differ in this preference. To test this hypothesis, we compared both the preference of MEAM1 and MED whiteflies for undamaged and damaged cabbage plants and the volatile compounds released by these plants. The term “damaged plants” refers to plants damaged by conspecifics (or heterospecifics), i.e., by the same (or another) species that was tested for preference
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