Test of communication between potato plants in response to herbivory by the Colorado potato beetle

Abstract

Abstract Plant communication via airborne volatile organic compounds is a widespread phenomenon by which volatile organic compounds from damaged plants boost herbivore resistance in receiver plants. This phenomenon has been studied only in a handful of crop species. We tested for communication between potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants in response to herbivory by the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. For this, we performed a greenhouse experiment with 15 potato varieties for which we caged pairs of plants (i.e., emitters and receivers) of the same variety. Half of the emitter plants were subjected to leaf damage by beetle larvae and the other half remained intact. We collected volatile organic compounds from emitter plants and estimated L. decemlineata damage on receivers. We found no evidence of quantitative (total production) or qualitative (compound composition) changes in volatile organic compound emissions due to beetle herbivory. In addition, the leaf damage treatment on emitters had no significant effect on receiver herbivore resistance, suggesting no communication between infested and non‐infested potato plants in response to Colorado potato beetle damage. Overall, this study provides baseline information on airborne signalling (or the lack of thereof) in potato plants which can inform subsequent work that identifies airborne volatiles with potentially strong effects on priming or defence induction.