Premium
Soybean resistance to stink bugs ( N ezara viridula and P iezodorus guildinii ) increases with exposure to solar UV ‐ B radiation and correlates with isoflavonoid content in pods under field conditions
Author(s) -
ZAVALA JORGE A.,
MAZZA CARLOS A.,
DILLON FRANCISCO M.,
CHLUDIL HUGO D.,
BALLARÉ CARLOS L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12368
Subject(s) - genistin , daidzin , nezara viridula , biology , cultivar , botany , food science , horticulture , heteroptera , pentatomidae , genistein , daidzein , endocrinology
Abstract Solar UV ‐ B radiation (280–315 nm) has a significant influence on trophic relationships in natural and managed ecosystems, affecting plant–insect interactions. We explored the effects of ambient UV ‐ B radiation on the levels of herbivory by stink bugs ( N ezara viridula and P iezodorus guildinii ) in field‐grown soybean crops. The experiments included two levels of UV ‐ B radiation (ambient and attenuated UV ‐ B ) and four soybean cultivars known to differ in their content of soluble leaf phenolics. Ambient UV ‐ B radiation increased the accumulation of the isoflavonoids daidzin and genistin in the pods of all cultivars. Soybean crops grown under attenuated UV ‐ B had higher numbers of unfilled pods and damaged seeds than crops grown under ambient UV ‐ B radiation. Binary choice experiments with soybean branches demonstrated that stink bugs preferred branches of the attenuated UV ‐ B treatment. We found a positive correlation between percentage of undamaged seeds and the contents of daidzin and genistin in pods. Our results suggest that constitutive and UV ‐ B ‐induced isoflavonoids increase plant resistance to stink bugs under field conditions.