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Ultraweak photon emission from herbivory-injured maize plants

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Abstract

Following perception of herbivory or infection, plants exhibit a wide range of inducible responses. In this study, we found ultraweak photon emissions from maize leaves damaged by Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae). Interestingly, mechanically damaged maize leaves treated with caterpillar regurgitants emitted the same intensity and pattern of photon emissions as those from maize leaves damaged by caterpillars. Furthermore, two-dimensional imaging of the leaf section treated with the oral secretions clearly shows that photon emissions were observed specifically at the lip of the wound exposed to the secretions. These results suggest that the direct interaction between maize leaf cells and chemicals contained in caterpillar regurgitants triggers these photon emissions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (no. 15580090) and the 21st century COE program for Innovative Food and Environmental Studies Pioneered by Entomomimetic Sciences from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Naoko Yoshinaga is the recipient of a research fellow (no. 01212) from Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Naoko Yoshinaga, Ritsuo Nishida & Naoki Mori

  2. Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Shizuoka Agricultural Experiment Station, Tomigaoka, Toyoda-cho Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-0803, Japan

    Kimihiko Kato & Chizuko Kageyama

  3. Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Kenji Fujisaki

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  1. Naoko Yoshinaga
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  2. Kimihiko Kato
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  3. Chizuko Kageyama
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  4. Kenji Fujisaki
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  5. Ritsuo Nishida
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  6. Naoki Mori
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Correspondence to Naoki Mori.

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Yoshinaga, N., Kato, K., Kageyama, C. et al. Ultraweak photon emission from herbivory-injured maize plants. Naturwissenschaften 93, 38–41 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-005-0059-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-005-0059-9

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