Restoring a maize root signal that attracts insect-killing nematodes to control a major pest
Jörg Degenhardt, Ivan Hiltpold, Tobias G. Köllner, M. Frey, A. Gierl, Jonathan Gershenzon, Bruce Elliott Hibbard, M. R. Ellersieck & Ted Turlings
| Résumé |
When attacked by herbivorous insects, plants emit volatile compounds
that attract natural enemies of the insects. It has been proposed
that these volatile signals can be manipulated to improve crop
protection. Here, we demonstrate the full potential of this
strategy by restoring the emission of a specific below ground
signal emitted by insect-damaged maize roots. The western corn
root-worm induces the roots of many maize varieties to emit
(E)-beta-caryophyllene, which attracts entomopathogenic nematodes
that infect and kill the voracious root pest. However, most North
American maize varieties have lost the ability to emit
(E)-beta-caryophyllene and may therefore receive little protection
from the nematodes. To restore the signal, a nonemitting maize line
was transformed with a (E)-beta-caryophyllene synthase gene from
oregano, resulting in constitutive emissions of this sesquiterpene.
In root-worm-infested field plots in which nematodes were released,
the (E)-beta-caryophyllene-emitting plants suffered significantly
less root damage and had 60% fewer adult beetles emerge than
untransformed, nonemitting lines. This demonstration that plant
volatile emissions can be manipulated to enhance the effectiveness
of biological control agents opens the way for novel and
ecologically sound strategies to fight a variety of insect
pests. |
| Mots-clés |
tritrophic interaction, biological control, transgenic crops, Zea mays, entomopathogenic nematodes, western corn-rootworm, steinernema-carpocapsae rhabditida, induced plant, odors, entomopathogenic nematodes, coleoptera-chrysomelidae, ubiquitin, promoter, biological-control, transgenic plants, indirect defense, herbivores |
| Citation | Degenhardt, J., Hiltpold, I., Köllner, T. G., Frey, M., Gierl, A., Gershenzon, J., Hibbard, B. E., Ellersieck, M. R., & Turlings, T. (2009). Restoring a maize root signal that attracts insect-killing nematodes to control a major pest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(32), 13213-13218. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Anglais) |
| Date de publication | 2009 |
| Nom du périodique | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 106 |
| Numéro | 32 |
| Pages | 13213-13218 |