Abstract
BACKGROUND: Plant interactions with beneficial microbes can modulate defense responses against insect herbivores, yet the mechanisms remain poorly understood for herbivorous stink bugs. This study evaluated the impact of the plant growth-promoting fungus, Trichoderma harzianum T22, on direct and indirect defenses of tomato plants challenged by the invasive stink bug Halyomorpha halys. RESULTS: Inoculation of tomato plants with T. harzianum T22 reduced the relative growth rate of H. halys nymphs, accompanied by enhanced expression of defense-related genes involved in the jasmonic acid and salicylic acid pathways, notably ToPIN2, ToLOXD and ToPR1. Behavioral assays revealed that females of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus, one of the main natural enemies of H. halys, were more strongly attracted to volatiles emitted from inoculated plants induced by stink bug feeding and oviposition. However, no effect of fungal inoculation was detected in the chemical composition of plant volatiles. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that T. harzianum T22 enhances tomato responses against H. halys by strengthening defense signaling pathways and modulating indirect defenses that facilitate natural enemy recruitment. Overall, these results suggest that using plant-growth-promoting fungi to enhance plant defenses is a promising crop protection strategy for controlling stink bug pests. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Fungal inoculation reduced stink bug nymph relative growth rate.
- Taxon
- tomato plants
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Treatment
- Inoculation of tomato plants with T. harzianum T22e0
- Interactor
- H. halys
Halyomorpha halyse0pest - Second interactor
- T. harzianum T22
Trichoderma harzianume0symbiont - Outcome
- relative growth rate of H. halys nymphse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Inoculation of tomato plants with T. harzianum T22 reduced the relative growth rate of H. halys nymphs”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungal inoculation enhanced expression of ToPIN2, ToLOXD and ToPR1.
- Taxon
- tomato plantsSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Trichoderma harzianum strain T22t0
- Gene
- ToPIN2, ToLOXD and ToPR1e0
- Outcome
- expression of defense-related genese0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“enhanced expression of defense-related genes involved in the jasmonic acid and salicylic acid pathways, notably ToPIN2, ToLOXD and ToPR1”
t0“Trichoderma harzianum strain T22 enhances direct and indirect defenses in tomato plants against the stink bug Halyomorpha halys”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoid females were more attracted to volatiles from inoculated plants after bug feeding and oviposition.
- Taxon
- tomato plantsSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- Trissolcus japonicus
_(cropped).jpg?width=60)
Trissolcus japonicuse0other - Second interactor
- H. halysHalyomorpha halyse0pest
- Outcome
- attracted to volatilese0
- Direction
- more stronglye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_(cropped).jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“females of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus, one of the main natural enemies of H. halys, were more strongly attracted to volatiles emitted from inoculated plants induced by stink bug feeding and oviposition”
t0“tomato plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungal inoculation did not change plant volatile chemical composition.
- Taxon
- tomato plantsSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- fungal inoculatione0
- Outcome
- chemical composition of plant volatilese0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“no effect of fungal inoculation was detected in the chemical composition of plant volatiles”
t0“tomato plants”
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