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Effects of single and multiple herbivory by host and non‐host caterpillars on the attractiveness of herbivore‐induced volatiles of sugarcane to the generalist parasitoid C otesia flavipes
Author(s) -
Peñaflor Maria Fernanda G.V.,
Gonçalves Felipe G.,
Colepicolo Camila,
Sanches Patricia A.,
Bento José Mauricio S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12623
Subject(s) - olfactometer , biology , diatraea saccharalis , host (biology) , parasitoid , herbivore , kairomone , botany , pest analysis , ecology
It is well known that parasitoids are attracted to volatiles emitted by host‐damaged plants; however, this tritrophic interaction may change if plants are attacked by more than one herbivore species. The larval parasitoid C otesia flavipes C ameron ( H ymenoptera: B raconidae) has been used intensively in Brazil to control the sugarcane borer, D iatraea saccharalis F abricius ( L epidoptera: P yralidae) in sugarcane crops, where S podoptera frugiperda ( JE Smith) ( L epidoptera: N octuidae), a non‐stemborer lepidopteran, is also a pest. Here, we investigated the ability of C . flavipes to discriminate between an unsuitable host ( S . frugiperda ) and a suitable host ( D . saccharalis ) based on herbivore‐induced plant volatiles ( HIPV s) emitted by sugarcane, and whether multiple herbivory ( D . saccharalis feeding on stalk + S. frugiperda feeding on leaves) in sugarcane affected the attractiveness of HIPV s to C . flavipes . Olfactometer assays indicated that volatiles of host and non‐host‐damaged plants were attractive to C . flavipes . Even though host‐ and non‐host‐damaged plants emitted considerably different volatile blends, neither naïve nor experienced wasps discriminated suitable and unsuitable hosts by means of HIPV s emitted by sugarcane. With regard to multiple herbivory, wasps innately preferred the odor blend emitted by sugarcane upon non‐host + host herbivory over host‐only damaged plants. Multiple herbivory caused a suppression of some volatiles relative to non‐host‐damaged sugarcane that may have resulted from the unaltered levels of jasmonic acid in host‐damaged plants, or from reduced palatability of host‐damaged plants to S . frugiperda . In conclusion, our study showed that C . flavipes responds to a wide range of plant volatile blends, and does not discriminate host from non‐host and non‐stemborer caterpillars based on HIPV s emitted from sugarcane. Moreover, we showed that multiple herbivory by the sugarcane borer and fall armyworm increases the attractiveness of sugarcane plants to the parasitoids.