Effects of Conventional and Organic Fertilization on the Chemical Profile of Sorghum bicolor and the Preference of Sugarcane Aphids (Melanaphis sacchari)

Abstract

Melanaphis sacchari is a cosmopolitan pest that causes losses in sorghum crops, so new management methods are needed. In addition, the type of fertilization used influences plant compositions and pest infestation, and allelochemicals are a promising method for the possible management of M. sacchari. In this work, we measured the preference of M. sacchari through chemical stimuli towards sorghum plants grown under greenhouse conditions without fertilization (F0), conventional fertilization (CF), and organic fertilization (OF). Leaves were collected from sorghum plants fertilized with 200 kg N ha−1 using ammonium sulfate and poultry manure. Extracts were obtained using Soxhlet extraction, and the compounds were identified using a gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sorghum extracts were individually tested through bioassays to determine M. sacchari preference. The abundance and number of compounds in sorghum differed depending on the type of fertilization used. M. sacchari showed a preference for the extract from CF sorghum plants (76.66%) over the extract from OF plants (23.34%). Therefore, the type of fertilization can be used as a tactic to prevent higher infestations of M. sacchari. The biological activity of the compounds identified here with M. sacchari should be determined for future pest management strategies using allelochemicals, given that the sugarcane aphid uses chemical signals to locate its host plant.