Comparative Analysis of Bioactive Volatiles from Susceptible and
Resistant Rice Varieties to the Major Rice Pest Nilaparvata
lugens Stål
Abstract
Infestation by herbivorous pests can change plant volatile profiles
leading to increased foraging by natural enemies and reduced attack by
the pests. Eight rice bioactive volatiles (semiochemicals) were
identified by GC-EAG. The quantitative differences in the production of
these volatiles between susceptible and resistant rice varieties to the
rice pest Nilaparvata lugens (BPH) were then determined. There was no
clear correlation in the production of these volatiles with the rice
resistance levels against BPH. The total amount of these volatiles and
the expression of genes associated with the biosynthesis of these
volatiles were significantly higher in susceptible varieties than in
resistant varieties, and as expected further upregulated upon
BPH-infestation. In behavioural experiments, the un-infested rice
volatiles (UIRVs) were more attractive to BPHs. Interestingly, the
attractiveness of UIRVs was significantly reduced by the addition of the
blend that mimics the natural composition of these volatiles in the
infested rice plants (IRVs). Furthermore, the 1:1 molar mixture of these
volatiles identified from IRVs repelled BPHs. These results demonstrate
as expected that UIRVs initially serve as attractive signals to rice
insect pests. The pest-infestation changes the rice volatile profile to
be less attractive, which pushes further colonization to un-infested
plants nearby.