Abstract
It is well known that plant-inhabiting predators use herbivore-induced plant volatiles to locate herbivores being their prey. Much less known, however, is the phenomenon that genotypes of the same host plant species vary in the attractiveness of these induced chemical signals, whereas they also differ in characteristics that affect the predator's foraging success, such as leaf pubescence. In a series of two-choice experiments (using a Y-tube olfactometer) we determined the preference of Typhlodromalus aripo for pubescent versus glabrous cassava cultivars infested with the cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa and also the preference for cultivars within each of the two groups. We found that when offered a choice between pubescent and glabrous cassava cultivars (either apex or leaves), T. aripo was significantly more attracted to pubescent cultivars. For each cultivar, M. tanajoa infested leaves and apices were equally attractive to T. aripo. There was however some variation in the response of T. aripo to M. tanajoa-infested plant parts within the group of pubescent cultivars, as well as within the group of glabrous cultivars. Our study confirms not only that T. aripo uses herbivore-induced plant volatiles to search for prey in cassava fields, but it also shows that it can discriminate between glabrous and pubescent cultivars and prefers the latter. This knowledge can be useful in selecting cultivars that are attractive and suitable to T. aripo, which, in turn, may promote biological control of the cassava green mite.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Typhlodromalus aripo was significantly more attracted to pubescent than to glabrous cassava cultivars when offered a choice.
- Taxon
- cassava
Manihot esculentae1 - Material
- pubescent cultivarse1
- Treatment
- a choice between pubescent and glabrous cassava cultivarse1
- Interactor
- T. aripoTyphlodromalus aripoe1biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- attractede1
- Direction
- more attractede1
- Comparator
- glabrous cassava cultivarse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We found that when offered a choice between pubescent and glabrous cassava cultivars (either apex or leaves), T. aripo was significantly more attracted to pubescent cultivars”
Claim · model-written summary
T. aripo was equally attracted to M. tanajoa infested leaves and apices within each cultivar.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae1
- Treatment
- M. tanajoa infested leavese2
- Interactor
- T. aripoTyphlodromalus aripoe2biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- attractivee2
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede2
- Qualifier
- equallye2
- Comparator
- apicese2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We found that when offered a choice between pubescent and glabrous cassava cultivars (either apex or leaves), T. aripo was significantly more attracted to pubescent cultivars”
e2“For each cultivar, M. tanajoa infested leaves and apices were equally attractive to T. aripo”
Claim · model-written summary
T. aripo responses to M. tanajoa-infested plant parts varied within both the pubescent and the glabrous cultivar groups.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae1
- Material
- pubescent cultivarse3
- Interactor
- T. aripoTyphlodromalus aripoe3biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- response of T. aripo to M. tanajoa-infested plant partse3
- Qualifier
- some variatione3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We found that when offered a choice between pubescent and glabrous cassava cultivars (either apex or leaves), T. aripo was significantly more attracted to pubescent cultivars”
e3“There was however some variation in the response of T. aripo to M. tanajoa-infested plant parts within the group of pubescent cultivars, as well as within the group of glabrous cultivars”
Claim · model-written summary
T. aripo uses herbivore-induced plant volatiles to search for prey in cassava fields.
- Taxon
- cassavaManihot esculentae4
- Interactor
- T. aripoTyphlodromalus aripoe4biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- uses herbivore-induced plant volatiles to search for preye4
- Setting
- cassava fieldse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“Our study confirms not only that T. aripo uses herbivore-induced plant volatiles to search for prey in cassava fields”