Volatile Organic Compounds Regulating Multitrophic (Plant–Pest–Antagonist) and Multilevel (Belowground–Aboveground) Interactions

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 1633

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP) of National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Piazzale Enrico Fermi,1 Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy
Interests: the chemical ecology of volatile organic compounds that regulate plant-insect interactions; the set up of monitoring plans for invasive pests, native antagonists, introduced antagonists; set up of mass-rearing protocols for natural antagonists to be used for the biological control of invasive pests

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Guest Editor
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP) of National Research Council of Italy (CNR) Piazzale Enrico Fermi,1 Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy
Interests: the study of population genetics of some invasive exotic pests, the complex of indigenous parasitoids that adapted to attack them and their symbionts manipulators of reproduction; the collection and characterization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that regulate the multitrophic interactions among plant symbionts, plant pests and pests’ antagonists by the mass spectrometry

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Guest Editor
Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Naples, Italy
Interests: plant multitrophic interactions; aboveground–belowground interactions; plant root symbionts; sustainable plant protection
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chemical compounds regulating multitrophic and multilevel interactions are considered innovative tools to be exploited for the sustainable protection of agricultural and forest systems.

These compounds include those induced aboveground by a herbivore’s attack and that guide herbivores’ natural antagonists (insect predators and parasitoids) to their prey and host targets, but also those induced by root symbionts.

In recent years, it has been demonstrated that root colonization by symbionts belonging to the genus Trichoderma or by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) alters the profile of VOCs released by either healthy or herbivore-infested plants, affecting, in turn, the behavioural response of herbivores’ antagonists.

This Special Issue will collect papers dealing with all aspects relative to VOC-mediated communication, aboveground and belowground, that could be exploited to improve the sustainable protection of agricultural and forest systems.

Dr. Luigi Iodice
Dr. Liberata Gualtieri
Dr. Emilio Guerrieri
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • behavioral ecology of plant–pest–insect predators’ and parasitoids’ interactions
  • root symbionts and induction of VOC in healthy and herbivore-attacked plants
  • ecophysiology of antagonists’ behaviour (EAG)
  • volatilome

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 1395 KiB  
Review
Multitrophic and Multilevel Interactions Mediated by Volatile Organic Compounds
by Dongsheng Niu, Linbo Xu and Kejian Lin
Insects 2024, 15(8), 572; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15080572 - 28 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Plants communicate with insects and other organisms through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Using Boolean operators, we retrieved 1093 articles from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, selecting 406 for detailed analysis, with approximately 50% focusing on herbivore-induced plant volatiles [...] Read more.
Plants communicate with insects and other organisms through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Using Boolean operators, we retrieved 1093 articles from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, selecting 406 for detailed analysis, with approximately 50% focusing on herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). This review examines the roles of VOCs in direct and indirect plant defense mechanisms and their influence on complex communication networks within ecosystems. Our research reveals significant functions of VOCs in four principal areas: activating insect antennae, attracting adult insects, attracting female insects, and attracting natural enemies. Terpenoids like α-pinene and β-myrcene significantly alter pest behavior by attracting natural enemies. β-ocimene and β-caryophyllene are crucial in regulating aboveground and belowground interactions. We emphasize the potential applications of VOCs in agriculture for developing novel pest control strategies and enhancing crop resilience. Additionally, we identify research gaps and propose new directions, stressing the importance of comparative studies across ecosystems and long-term observational research to better understand VOCs dynamics. In conclusion, we provide insights into the multifunctionality of VOCs in natural ecosystems, their potential for future research and applications, and their role in advancing sustainable agricultural and ecological practices, contributing to a deeper understanding of their mechanisms and ecological functions. Full article
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