Colarado Potato Beetles, the scourge of potato farmers, might be duped into steering clear of the crop.
The researchers found that nematodes produce a distinctive chemical that prompts plants to put up their defences and deter Colorado Potato Beetles.
A team of entemologists, led by Dr. Anjel Helms, and Penn State University found the substance by studying entomopathogenic nematodes, EPNs, or insect-killing nematodes.
“For this study, we wanted to flip things around and determine whether plants and insect herbivores can eavesdrop on chemical cues produced by a predator,” Helms said.
Shefound that these insect-killing nematodes do produce distinctive chemical cues that both the plant and insect herbivores respond to.
The female Colorado potato beetles not only laid fewer eggs when the cues were present, but also the potato plant increased its defences.
This was especially important since the Colorado potato beetle is notorious for developing insecticide resistance, making them an especially devastating pest, she said.
“Not only are the EPNs directly killing insect pests in the soil, they also produce chemical cues that provide additional protection to plants,” Helms said. “They deter herbivores and enhance plant resistance to pests.”
