Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
  • Home
Hostname: page-component-684bc48f8b-vgwqb Total loading time: 0.469 Render date: 2021-04-13T14:07:48.493Z Has data issue: true Feature Flags: { "shouldUseShareProductTool": true, "shouldUseHypothesis": true, "isUnsiloEnabled": true, "metricsAbstractViews": false, "figures": false, "newCiteModal": false, "newCitedByModal": true }
EnglishFrançais
Bulletin of Entomological Research Bulletin of Entomological Research

Article contents

Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2009

O.L. Kvedaras ,
M. An ,
Y.S. Choi  and
G.M. Gurr
O.L. Kvedaras
Affiliation:
EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Private Mail Bag, Wagga Wagga, NSW2650, Australia
M. An
Affiliation:
Environmental and Analytical Laboratories, Faculty of Science & EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 558, Wagga Wagga, NSW2678, Australia
Y.S. Choi
Affiliation:
EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 883, Orange, NSW2800, Australia
G.M. Gurr
Affiliation:
EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 883, Orange, NSW2800, Australia
Corresponding
E-mail address:
olivia.kvedaras@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Get access
Rights & Permissions[Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Silicon (Si) is known to have a role in constitutive plant defence against arthropod pests, and recent work has illustrated involvement in induced plant defences. The present tri-trophic study tested the hypothesis that Si increases natural enemy attraction to pest-infested plants and improves biological control. Cucumber plants treated with potassium silicate (Si+) and untreated control plants (Si−) were maintained in separately vented glasshouse compartments. Y-tube olfactometer studies showed that adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to Si+ plants upon which Helicoverpa armigera larvae had fed compared with Si−, pest-infested plants. Predators were not significantly more attracted to Si+ plants when comparing uninfested cucumbers. In a field experiment, we placed H. armigera-infested and uninfested Si+ and Si− cucumber plants in a lucerne stand. Removal rates of H. armigera egg baits showed predation was greater for Si+ infested plants than for other treatments. Results suggest that Si applied to plants with a subsequent pest infestation increases the plants' attractiveness to natural enemies; an effect that was reflected in elevated biological control in the field.

Keywords

trophic interactions herbivore-induced plant volatiles natural enemies olfactometer
Type
Short Communication
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 100 , Issue 3 , June 2010 , pp. 367 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below.
If you should have access and can't see this content please contact technical support.

References

Bélanger, R.R., Benhamou, N. & Menzies, J.G. (2003) Cytological evidence of an active role of silicon in wheat resistance to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp tritici). Phytopathology 93, 402–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chérif, M., Asselin, A. & Bélanger, R.R. (1994) Defense responses induced by soluble silicon in cucumber roots infected by Pythium spp. Phytopathology 84, 236–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djamin, A. & Pathak, M.D. (1967) Role of silica in resistance to Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis Walker, in rice varieties. Journal of Economic Entomology 60, 347–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fauteux, F., Rémus-Borel, W., Menzies, J.G. & Bélanger, R.R. (2005) Silicon and plant disease resistance against pathogenic fungi. FEMS Microbiology Letters 249, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gatehouse, J.A. (2002) Plant resistance towards insect herbivores: a dynamic interaction. New Phytologist 156, 145–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gomes, F.B., Moraes, J.C., Santos, C.D. & Goussain, M.M. (2005) Resistance induction in wheat plants by silicon and aphids. Scientia Agricola 62, 547–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gomes, F.B., Moraes, J.C., dos Santos, C.D. & Antunes, C. (2008) Use of silicon as inductor of the resistance in potato to Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Neotropical Entomology 37, 185–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goussain, M.M., Moraes, J.C., Carvalho, J.G., Nogueira, N.L. & Rossi, M.L. (2002) Efeito da aplicacao de silicio em plantas de milho no desenvolvimento biologico da lagarta-do-cartucho Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Neotropical Entomology 31, 305–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, D.G. & Grasswitz, T.R. (2005) Synthetic herbivore-induced plant volatiles increase field captures of parasitic wasps. Biocontrol 50, 871–880.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, L.H.P. & Handreck, K.A. (1967) Silica in soils, plants and animals. Advances in Agronomy 19, 107–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L. & Keeping, M.G. (2007) Silicon impedes stalk penetration by the borer Eldana saccharina in sugarcane. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 125, 103–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L., Keeping, M.G., Goebel, F.R. & Byrne, M.J. (2007a) Water stress augments silicon-mediated resistance of susceptible sugarcane cultivars to the stalk borer Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 97, 175–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L., Keeping, M.G., Goebel, F.R. & Byrne, M.J. (2007b) Larval performance of the pyralid borer Eldana saccharina Walker and stalk damage in sugarcane: influence of plant silicon, cultivar and feeding site. International Journal of Pest Management 53, 183–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L., Byrne, M.J., Coombs, N.E. & Keeping, M.G. (2009a) Influence of plant silicon and sugarcane cultivar on mandibular wear in larval Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Agricultural and Forest Entomology 11, 301–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kvedaras, O.L., Keeping, M.G. & Meyer, J.H. (2009b) Silicon-augmented resistance of plants to herbivorous insects: a review. Annals of Applied Biology 155, in press.Google Scholar
Ma, J.F. & Yamaji, N. (2006) Silicon uptake and accumulation in higher plants. Trends in Plant Science 11, 392–397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Massey, F.P. & Hartley, S.E. (2009) Physical defences wear you down: progressive and irreversible impacts of silica on insect herbivores. Journal of Animal Ecology 78, 281–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menzies, J., Bowen, P. & Ehret, D. (1992) Foliar applications of potassium silicate reduce severity of powdery mildew on cucumber, muskmelon, and zucchini Squash. American Society for Horticultural Science 117, 902–905.Google Scholar
Moraes, J.C., Goussain, M.M., Basagli, M.A.B., Carvalho, G.A., Ecole, C.C. & Sampaio, M.V. (2004) Silicon influence on the tritrophic interaction: wheat plants, the greenbug Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and its natural enemies, Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae). Neotropical Entomology 33, 619–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodrigues, F.A., McNally, D.J., Datnoff, L.E., Jones, J.B., Labbé, C., Benhamou, N., Menzies, J.G. & Bélanger, R.R. (2004) Silicon enhances the accumulation of diterpenoid phytoalexins in rice: a potential mechanism for blast resistance. Phytopathology 94, 177–183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sabelis, M.W., Janssen, A., Pallini, A., Venzon, M., Bruin, J., Drukker, B. & Scutareanu, P. (1999) Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores. pp. 269–296 in Agrawal, A.A., Tuzun, S. & Bent, E. (Eds). Induced Plant Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores: Biochemistry, Ecology, and Agriculture. St Paul, Minnesota, USA, APS Press.Google Scholar
Savvas, D., Giotis, D., Chatzieustratiou, E., Bakea, M. & Patakioutas, G. (2009) Silicon supply in soilless cultivations of zucchini alleviates stress induced by salinity and powdery mildew infections. Environmental and Experimental Botany 65, 11–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Full text views

Full text views reflects PDF downloads, PDFs sent to Google Drive, Dropbox and Kindle and HTML full text views.

Total number of HTML views: 18
Total number of PDF views: 193 *
View data table for this chart

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between September 2016 - 13th April 2021. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

59
Cited by

Send article to Kindle

To send this article to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about sending to your Kindle. Find out more about sending to your Kindle.

Note you can select to send to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be sent to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences
Available formats
×

Send article to Dropbox

To send this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Dropbox.

Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences
Available formats
×

Send article to Google Drive

To send this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Google Drive.

Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences
Available formats
×
×

Reply to: Submit a response

Your details

Conflicting interests

Do you have any conflicting interests? *