Abstract
The glasshouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) is a polyphagous arthropod pest that is of particular detriment to glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) across temperate regions of the world. Control of whiteflies with synthetic pesticides has resulted in the evolution of resistant genotypes and a reduction in natural enemies, thus highlighting the need for environmentally sound control strategies. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) offer an environmentally benign alternative to synthetic chemical sprays and this study explored the use of VOCs as insect repellents and plant defence elicitors to control whiteflies on tomato in a commercial glasshouse setting. Limonene in the form of a volatile dispenser system was found to successfully repel whitefly from the target crop and increased fruit yield by 32% during a heavy whitefly infestation. Analysis of tomato herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) led us to select methyl salicylate (MeSA) as the plant elicitor and application of MeSA to un-infested tomato plants was found to successfully reduce whitefly population development and increase yield by 11%, although this difference was marginally statistically significant. Combination of these two methods was also effective but whitefly abundance in combined plots was similar to the standalone limonene treatment across the course of the experiment. All of the VOC based control methods we used had a negative impact on whitefly performance, with more pronounced effects during the first few weeks of infestation. In subsequent laboratory experiments, we found elevated peroxidase (POD) activity and a significant increase in TPX1 and PR1 transcripts in MeSA treated plants. This led us to deduce that MeSA immediately induced plant defences, rather than priming them. We did however see evidence for residual priming, as plants treated with MeSA and infested with whiteflies produced significantly higher levels of POD activity than whitefly infestation alone. Despite the fact that our treatments failed to synergise, our methods can be optimised further, and the effectiveness of the standalone treatments is promising for future studies. In particular, our repellent limonene dispensers were extremely effective at deterring whiteflies and offer a low economic cost and easy to implement whitefly control option. The methods we have used here could be incorporated into current integrated pest management (IPM) systems, a sustainable approach to pest control which will be central to our efforts to manage whitefly populations under glass in the future.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Limonene dispensers repelled whitefly from tomato.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- Limonene in the form of a volatile dispenser systeme0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- repel whiteflye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Limonene in the form of a volatile dispenser system was found to successfully repel whitefly from the target crop”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Limonene dispensers increased fruit yield by 32% during heavy whitefly infestation.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- Limonene in the form of a volatile dispenser systeme0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 32%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Limonene in the form of a volatile dispenser system was found to successfully repel whitefly from the target crop and increased fruit yield by 32% during a heavy whitefly infestation”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
MeSA application reduced whitefly population development on tomato.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- application of MeSAe0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- whitefly population developmente0
- Direction
- reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of MeSA to un-infested tomato plants was found to successfully reduce whitefly population development”
Claim · model-written summary
MeSA increased tomato yield by 11% with marginal statistical significance.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- application of MeSAe0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 11%e0
- Qualifier
- marginally statistically significante0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of MeSA to un-infested tomato plants was found to successfully reduce whitefly population development and increase yield by 11%, although this difference was marginally statistically significant”
Claim · model-written summary
The combined VOC methods were effective against whitefly.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- Combination of these two methodse0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- whitefly abundancee0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Combination of these two methods was also effective but whitefly abundance in combined plots was similar to the standalone limonene treatment”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Whitefly abundance under the combination was similar to limonene alone.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- combined plotse0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- whitefly abundancee0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- standalone limonene treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“whitefly abundance in combined plots was similar to the standalone limonene treatment”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
All VOC controls negatively affected whitefly performance, especially early in infestation.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- VOC based control methodse0
- Interactor
- whiteflye0pest
- Outcome
- whitefly performancee0
- Direction
- negative impacte0
- Qualifier
- first few weeks of infestatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“All of the VOC based control methods we used had a negative impact on whitefly performance, with more pronounced effects during the first few weeks of infestation”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
MeSA elevated peroxidase activity.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- MeSAe0
- Gene
- peroxidase (POD)e0
- Outcome
- peroxidase (POD) activitye0
- Direction
- elevatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“elevated peroxidase (POD) activity and a significant increase in TPX1 and PR1 transcripts in MeSA treated plants”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
MeSA significantly increased TPX1 and PR1 transcripts.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- MeSAe0
- Gene
- TPX1 and PR1e0
- Outcome
- TPX1 and PR1 transcriptse0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a significant increase in TPX1 and PR1 transcripts in MeSA treated plants”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors inferred that MeSA immediately induced defenses.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- MeSAe0
- Outcome
- plant defencese0
- Direction
- inducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“MeSA immediately induced plant defences, rather than priming them”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
MeSA plus infestation produced higher POD activity than infestation alone.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Treatment
- MeSA and infested with whitefliese0
- Interactor
- whitefliesAleyrodoideae0pest
- Outcome
- POD activitye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- whitefly infestation alonee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plants treated with MeSA and infested with whiteflies produced significantly higher levels of POD activity than whitefly infestation alone”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose limonene dispensers as a low cost whitefly control option.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Interactor
- whitefliesAleyrodoideae0pest
- Outcome
- whitefly control optione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“limonene dispensers were extremely effective at deterring whiteflies and offer a low economic cost and easy to implement whitefly control option”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors propose incorporating VOC methods into IPM systems.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume1
- Outcome
- incorporated into current integrated pest management (IPM) systemse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The methods we have used here could be incorporated into current integrated pest management (IPM) systems”
e1“glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)”
The same questions in other papers
methyl salicylate · Aleyrodoidea · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
methyl salicylate · molecular: expression · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
infection · Aleyrodoidea · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →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.