Abstract
Silicon (Si) is known to have a role in constitutive plant defence against arthropod pests, and recent work has illustrated involvement in induced plant defences. The present tri-trophic study tested the hypothesis that Si increases natural enemy attraction to pest-infested plants and improves biological control. Cucumber plants treated with potassium silicate (Si+) and untreated control plants (Si-) were maintained in separately vented glasshouse compartments. Y-tube olfactometer studies showed that adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to Si+ plants upon which Helicoverpa armigera larvae had fed compared with Si-, pest-infested plants. Predators were not significantly more attracted to Si+ plants when comparing uninfested cucumbers. In a field experiment, we placed H. armigera-infested and uninfested Si+ and Si- cucumber plants in a lucerne stand. Removal rates of H. armigera egg baits showed predation was greater for Si+ infested plants than for other treatments. Results suggest that Si applied to plants with a subsequent pest infestation increases the plants' attractiveness to natural enemies; an effect that was reflected in elevated biological control in the field.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to silicon-treated cucumber plants fed on by Helicoverpa armigera larvae than to untreated infested plants.
- Taxon
- Cucumber
Cucumis sativuse1 - Treatment
- Si+ plantse0
- Interactor
- Helicoverpa armigera
_gusano_cogollero.png?width=60)
Helicoverpa armigerae0pest - Second interactor
- Dicranolaius bellulus
Dicranolaius belluluse0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attractede0
- Direction
- more attractede0
- Comparator
- Si-, pest-infested plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_gusano_cogollero.png?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to Si+ plants upon which Helicoverpa armigera larvae had fed compared with Si-, pest-infested plants”
e1“Cucumber plants treated with potassium silicate (Si+)”
Claim · model-written summary
Predators were not significantly more attracted to silicon-treated uninfested cucumber plants.
- Taxon
- cucumbersCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- Si+ plantse0
- Interactor
- Dicranolaius bellulusDicranolaius belluluse1biocontrol_agentt0
- Outcome
- Predators were not significantly more attractede0
- Direction
- not significantly more attractede0
- Qualifier
- uninfested cucumberse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Predators were not significantly more attracted to Si+ plants when comparing uninfested cucumbers”
t0“Silicon enhances natural enemy attraction and biological control through induced plant defences”
e1“adult Dicranolaius bellulus were significantly more attracted to Si+ plants upon which Helicoverpa armigera larvae had fed compared with Si-, pest-infested plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Egg bait predation was greater on silicon-treated, H. armigera-infested cucumber plants than on other treatments.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse2
- Treatment
- Si+ infested plantse0
- Interactor
- H. armigeraHelicoverpa armigerae0pest
- Outcome
- Removal rates of H. armigera egg baitse0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- other treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Removal rates of H. armigera egg baits showed predation was greater for Si+ infested plants than for other treatments”
e2“Si- cucumber plants in a lucerne stand”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors interpret silicon plus subsequent pest infestation as increasing plant attractiveness to natural enemies.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse2
- Treatment
- Si applied to plants with a subsequent pest infestatione0
- Interactor
- H. armigeraHelicoverpa armigerae1pest
- Outcome
- plants' attractiveness to natural enemiese0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Qualifier
- subsequent pest infestatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si applied to plants with a subsequent pest infestation increases the plants' attractiveness to natural enemies”
e1“Removal rates of H. armigera egg baits showed predation was greater for Si+ infested plants than for other treatments”
e2“Si- cucumber plants in a lucerne stand”
The same questions in other papers
silicon atom · Helicoverpa armigera · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.