Olfactory responses of two specialist insect predators of spider mites toward plant volatiles from lima bean leaves induced by jasmonic acid and/or methyl salicylate

Takeshi Shimoda; Rika Ozawa; Gen-ichiro Arimura; Junji Takabayashi; Takaaki Nishioka

doi:10.1303/aez.2002.535

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Olfactory responses of two specialist insect predators of spider mites toward plant volatiles from lima bean leaves induced by jasmonic acid and/or methyl salicylate

Takeshi Shimoda, Rika Ozawa, Gen-ichiro Arimura, Junji Takabayashi, Takaaki Nishioka

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Keywords: Oligota kashmirica benefica, Scolothrips takahashii, lima bean, jasmonic acid, methyl salicylate

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2002 Volume 37 Issue 4 Pages 535-541

DOI https://doi.org/10.1303/aez.2002.535

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Abstract

The responses of two insect predators of spider mites, Scolothrips takahashii (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Oligota kashmirica benefica (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), to volatile compounds from leaves treated with aqueous jasmonic acid (JA) and/or gaseous methyl salicylate (MeSA) in an olfactometer were examined. Adult females of O. kashmirica benefica exhibited a significant preference for JA+MeSA-treated leaves when compared with uninfested leaves. In contrast, adult females of S. takahashii significantly preferred MeSA- and JA+MeSA-treated leaves to uninfested leaves. Neither predator showed any preference for JA-treated leaves when compared with uninfested leaves. The results argue in favor of manipulating the behavior of natural enemies of herbivores as a method of biological control against herbivorous pests in agroecosystems. This is the first report to suggest that MeSA can be a useful tool for enhancing the effectiveness of carnivorous natural enemies of spider mites.

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