When plants are attacked by herbivores, they release plant volatiles called herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to the environment to communicate with higher trophic levels. HIPVs play different ecological roles such as plant-plant interaction, plant-herbivore interaction, tritrophic interaction and other related interactions. Attractiveness of HIPVs to natural enemies in a tritrophic interaction varies depending on species diversity. Under natural and multiple cropping systems, tritrophic interaction is expected to be more complex than single tritrophic interaction with one species per trophic level. In complex tritrophic interaction, diversity of different trophic levels affects attractiveness of HIPVs to natural enemies. From plant diversity point of view, HIPVs mixture emanating from herbivore-damaged multiple plant species are reported to affect behavioral responses and foraging behavior of natural enemies under laboratory and field conditions. Similarly, from herbivore diversity point of view, in nature, plants are commonly attacked by more than one herbivore species. Constituents of HIPVs vary between plants infested by multiple and single herbivore species and this affects the behavioral responses and foraging behavior of natural enemies. This paper reviews recent findings on the role of HIPVs as indirect plant defense in systems with simple tritrophic interaction, and in diverse plants species and diverse herbivore species.

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Background Maize, Zea mays L (Cyperales: Poaceae), is one of the major cereal crops grown in Ethiopia for its food and feed values. Recently, the fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) has become a major challenge to maize production threatening smallholder farmers in the country. Developing effective and smallholder farmers-friendly integrated pest management of FAW is vital. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of night-time light-traps and push-pull integrated system on controlling different life stages (adult, larvae and eggs) of FAW. Results A significantly greater number of FAW moths were captured on traps placed outside maize field plots treated with a light-trap and push-pull integrated system than on traps placed outside maize monocrop, light-trap and push-pull treated plots during the 2018 and 2019 experiment seasons. As a result, a significantly lower number of moths were found inside maize field plots treated with light-trap and a push-pull integrated system than the other treatments. The levels of FAW eggs and larvae infestation were significantly lower in maize plots treated with a light-trap and push-pull integrated system than in maize monocrops, push-pull, and light-trap treated plots. The proportion of plants damaged by FAW larvae was significantly lower in maize plots treated with a light-trap and push-pull integrated system relative to maize plots treated with the other treatments. Conclusion This study proved that a system integrating night-time light-traps and push-pull system results in a better and more effective control of different stages of FAW than push-pull system and night-time light-traps alone.