Abstract
Mint plants could theoretically serve as companion plants (CPs) that attract enemies of herbivores in tritrophic interactions. In order to explore the traits of mint volatiles as attractant cues for enemies of two-spotted spider mites, we performed Y-tube olfactometer assays of predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, towards three mint species, apple mint, candy mint, and spearmint, as odor source. Clean candy mint and spearmint were attractive to P. persimilis, when compared with clean air and undamaged Phaseolus vulgaris plants serving as the target crop. Moreover, clean candy mint plants were even more attractive than volatiles from P. vulgaris plants damaged by spider mites. These predator responses were induced additively by candy mint volatiles plus volatiles from damaged P. vulgaris plants, as shown using both Y-tube olfactometer and open-space assay systems. However, the number of spider mite eggs consumed by P. persimilis on P. vulgaris plants did not differ in the presence compared to the absence of mint volatiles, indicating that mint volatiles affect the attraction but not the appetite of P. persimilis. Together, these findings suggest that the use of candy mint and spearmint as CPs is an ideal platform for spider mite pest management via the attraction of predatory mites.
Highlights
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into the atmosphere for many purposes from plants belonging to a vast array of taxa to play important roles in attracting mutualistic animals, resisting environmental stress, and directly controlling plant pests[1,2]
Given the significant role shown here of mint volatiles in attracting P. persimilis, we suggest a potential application of these mint species for T. urticae pest management
The findings of our study provide new insights into potential application of selected mint cultivars for spider mite management in agriculture and horticulture
Summary
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into the atmosphere for many purposes from plants belonging to a vast array of taxa to play important roles in attracting mutualistic animals, resisting environmental stress, and directly controlling plant pests[1,2]. The nature of plant indirect defenses that act in the tritrophic interactions among legume plants, herbivorous two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae), and predatory mites (e.g., Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus) has been intensively studied[3,4,5,6]. Studies targeting plant indirect defenses provide an appropriate basis for the development of new protocols for T. urticae pest management that do not rely on acaricides in agriculture and horticulture. Since little is known about the attractivity of mint volatiles for herbivore enemies, we assessed the attraction of two predatory mites (P. persimilis and N. californicus) to mint VOCs www.nature.com/scientificreports/. Given the significant role shown here of mint volatiles in attracting P. persimilis, we suggest a potential application of these mint species for T. urticae pest management
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