Basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) attracts and benefits the green lacewing Ceraeochrysa cubana Hagen

Batista, Michela Costa; Fonseca, Maira Christina Marques; Teodoro, Adenir Vieira; Martins, Elem Fialho; Pallini, Ângelo; Venzon, Madelaine

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2017.04.013

Cited by 30 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Moreover, it should be noted that evolutionary and ecological insights into the predators’s stronger attraction to mint plants than T. urticae -infested host plants remain to be obtained, but addressing those questions was beyond the scope of our study. There are some reports regarding similar phenomena of carnivores being attracted by VOCs that do not emanate from herbivore-damaged plants but rather from other plants, for instance, the reported attraction of Harmonia axyridis to French marigold 22 , Ceraeochrysa cubana to basil 23 , and ladybug to coriander plants 15 . However, whether their attraction is even stronger than that to herbivore-infested plants, and the ecological and evolutionary significance of their attraction, remain unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mint companion plants attract the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis

Togashi

Goto

Rim

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Mint plants could theoretically serve as companion plants (CPs) that attract enemies of herbivores in tritrophic interactions. In order to explore the traits of mint volatiles as attractant cues for enemies of two-spotted spider mites, we performed Y-tube olfactometer assays of predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, towards three mint species, apple mint, candy mint, and spearmint, as odor source. Clean candy mint and spearmint were attractive to P. persimilis, when compared with clean air and undamaged Phaseolus vulgaris plants serving as the target crop. Moreover, clean candy mint plants were even more attractive than volatiles from P. vulgaris plants damaged by spider mites. These predator responses were induced additively by candy mint volatiles plus volatiles from damaged P. vulgaris plants, as shown using both Y-tube olfactometer and open-space assay systems. However, the number of spider mite eggs consumed by P. persimilis on P. vulgaris plants did not differ in the presence compared to the absence of mint volatiles, indicating that mint volatiles affect the attraction but not the appetite of P. persimilis. Together, these findings suggest that the use of candy mint and spearmint as CPs is an ideal platform for spider mite pest management via the attraction of predatory mites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mint companion plants attract the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis

Togashi

Goto

Rim

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…The question we then asked is how those predators prefer mint VOCs. This phenomenon is not surprising because there are some reports similarly showing that predators tend to prefer aromatic volatiles released from French marigold, basil, and coriander plants 13,16,34 , although their mechanisms remain to be understood. However, CP-VOCs are not always preferred by predators, as shown here by the lack of any strong preference by O. strigicollis (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Mint companion plants enhance the attraction of the generalist predator Nesidiocoris tenuis according to its experiences of conspecific mint volatiles

Rim

Hattori

Arimura

2020

Sci Rep

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Mint plants enable improvement of pest management by attracting herbivore enemies to constitutively released mint volatiles. The generalist predator Nesidiocoris tenuis is used worldwide to control agricultural pests, but little is known about whether mint can serve as a companion plant that attracts this predator. To examine this, olfactory responses of N. tenuis were assessed using apple mint, candy mint, and spearmint as odor sources. Of the volatiles released by these mint species, candy mint volatiles alone were more attractive than those from undamaged eggplant, and were as attractive as volatiles from eggplant damaged with Spodoptera litura larvae. However, no prominent preference for particular volatile(s) among the mint volatiles was shown by O. strigicollis. When N. tenuis had been previously exposed to candy mint, the predator showed a stronger preference for candy mint volatiles than damaged eggplant volatiles. It was, however, irrelevant whether the predator received benefit or not by predating animal prey during the mint-experience period. In contrast, spearmint-experience increased the preference for spearmint volatiles only when the predator acquired prey during the mintexperience period. These findings suggest that previous exposure of N. tenuis to some particular mint species can increase its preference for volatiles from the conspecific mints. Plants produce and emit volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in order to resist environment stresses such as heat and light 1 , to deter herbivores and pathogenesis 2-4 , and to attract beneficial organisms, including natural enemies of herbivores 5-7 and pollinators 8. The pivotal roles of plant VOCs in the tritrophic system consisting of plant, herbivore, and predator have been intensively researched in a large array of cultivated crops 7 to be applied for use of biological control of herbivores 9. Among such applications, "companion planting" is one successful example of polyculture in which target plants (TPs) are cultivated with companion plants (CPs) to assist TP growth or protection against pests by attracting beneficial insects or repelling pests 10. For example, CPs such as mint, basil and marigold work as attractants for herbivore enemies 11,12. Moreover, an aphid predator, Cycloneda sanguinea L. (Coccinellidae), has been shown to be attracted to corianders owing to their pollen and nectar serving as supplementary foods 13. Recently, Togashi et al. showed that candy mint (Mentha x piperita L. cv. Candy) and spearmint (M. spicata L.) attract Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Phytoseiidae), a specialized predatory mite of Tetranychidae, but not Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Phytoseiidae) 14 , a generalized predator that consumes not only mites but also pollen, thrips, and other tiny arthropods 15. These results were certainly unexpected because it was initially expected that the generalist N. californicus rather than the specialist P. persimilis would be responsive to mint VOCs. To the best of our knowledge about companion plants attracting...

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“…Among these, basil has been shown in other studies to reduce the attractiveness of tomato plants to the insect pest Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) . Basil also attracts and benefits natural enemies such as adult lacewing; with flowers serving as secondary food resources . Basil has also been tested in apple orchards and was able to suppress populations of Aphis citricola van der Gott, possibly through enhancing its natural enemies .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…36 Basil also attracts and benefits natural enemies such as adult lacewing; with flowers serving as secondary food resources. 37 Basil has also been tested in apple orchards and was able to suppress populations of Aphis citricola van der Gott, possibly through enhancing its natural enemies. 38 Essential oil extracted from oregano consists mostly of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and these compounds exhibit contact mortality against alfalfa aphid, Macrosiphum creelii Davis, 39 insecticidal activity against stored-products pest, the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller and the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening barrier plants to reduce crop attack by sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius)

Dada

Liu

Johnson

et al. 2019

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND Sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) attacks stems and storage roots of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, and is a major pest of this globally significant crop. To minimize the immigration of weevils into sweet potato fields from nearby donor habitat, we assessed scope for a barrier plant approach. Here, we report a novel, two‐stage, multiple choice olfactometer method to screen candidate barrier plant species and a field study of the effects of shortlisted barrier plants of weevil movement and plant damage. RESULTS Initial work established that a combination of sweet potato foliage and storage root was significantly more attractive to adult C. formicarius than either tissue alone in the distal chamber of choice arms. Among 15 candidate barrier plant species in intermediate chambers in arms, spring onion, oregano, chilli, basil, sweetcorn, fennel, lime mint and lemongrass significantly reduced passage of C. formicarius. Of these, sweetcorn and lime mint significantly reduced the numbers of oviposition holes in sweet potato storage roots. A field study showed that basil and chives were effective barrier plants for reducing weevil damage to sweet potato storage roots. CONCLUSION Our method has utility for screening additional candidate plants, and suggests that weevil dispersal and subsequent oviposition are affected by passage through some plants, suggesting scope for barrier plants to contribute to the management of this major pest. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

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Basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) attracts and benefits the green lacewing Ceraeochrysa cubana Hagen

Cited by 30 publications

References 64 publications

Mint companion plants attract the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis

Mint companion plants attract the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis

Mint companion plants enhance the attraction of the generalist predator Nesidiocoris tenuis according to its experiences of conspecific mint volatiles

Screening barrier plants to reduce crop attack by sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius)

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