Insects trigger plants to release volatile compounds that mediate the interaction with both pest and beneficial insects. Soybean aphids (
Aphis glycines) induces soybean (
Glycine max) leaves to produce volatiles that attract predators of the aphid. In this research, we
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Insects trigger plants to release volatile compounds that mediate the interaction with both pest and beneficial insects. Soybean aphids (
Aphis glycines) induces soybean (
Glycine max) leaves to produce volatiles that attract predators of the aphid. In this research, we describe the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for extraction of volatiles from
A. glycines-infested plant. Objectives were to (1) determine if SPME can be used to collect soybean plant volatiles and to (2) use headspace SPME-GC-MS approach to screen compounds associated with
A. glycines-infested soybeans, grown in the laboratory and in the field, to identify previously known and potentially novel chemical markers of infestation. A total of 62 plant volatiles were identified, representing 10 chemical classes. 39 compounds had not been found in previous studies of soybean volatile emissions. 3-hexen-1-ol, dimethyl nonatriene, indole, caryophyllene, benzaldehyde, linalool, methyl salicylate (MeSA), benzene ethanol, and farnesene were considered herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). For reproductive field-grown soybeans, three compounds were emitted in greater abundance from leaves infested with
A. glycines, cis-3-hexen-1-ol acetate, MeSA and farnesene. In summary, SPME can detect the emission of HIPVs from plants infested with insect herbivores.
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