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Carnivore Attractant or Plant Elicitor? Multifunctional Roles of Methyl Salicylate Lures in Tomato Defense

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Abstract

Synthetic plant volatile lures attract natural enemies, but may have non-target effects due to the multifunctional nature of volatile signals. For example, methyl salicylate (MeSA) is used to attract predators, yet also serves as a signaling hormone involved in plant pathogen defense. We investigated the consequences of deploying MeSA lures to attract predators for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) defense against herbivores. To understand the spatial distribution of the lure’s effect, we exposed tomatoes in the field to MeSA along a linear distance gradient and induced defenses by simulating feeding by hornworm caterpillars in a fully crossed factorial design (+/− MeSA, +/− herbivory). Subsequently, we analyzed activity of several defensive proteins (protease inhibitors, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase), development of hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta), growth of fungal pathogens (Cladosporium and Alternaria), and attractiveness to herbivores and predators. Overall, MeSA-exposed plants were more resistant to both insects and pathogens. Secondary pathogen infection was reduced by 25% in MeSA exposed plants, possibly due to elevated polyphenol oxidase activity. Interestingly, we found that lures affected plant pathogen defenses equivalently across all distances (up to 4 m away) indicating that horizontal diffusion of a synthetic volatile may be greater than previously assumed. While thrips avoided colonizing hornworm– damaged tomato plants, this induced resistance was not observed upon pre-exposure to MeSA, suggesting that MeSA suppresses the repellant effect induced by herbivory. Thus, using MeSA lures in biological control may inadvertently protect crops from pathogens, but has mixed effects on plant resistance to insect herbivores.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Gina Angelella, Carmen Blubaugh, Michael Garvey, Paola Olaya, Stephanie Russell, and Christy Shee for field assistance; Reilly Snider for field assistance and protein activity analysis; Dr. Cam Oehlschalger (Chemtica International) for donating PredaLure; Mercedes Laland for phytohormone analysis; and the Meigs farm crew for maintaining tomato plots. This study was funded by United States Department of Agriculture grant no. 2011-67013-30126.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Elizabeth Rowen

  2. Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA

    Michael Gutensohn

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Whistler Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Natalia Dudareva

  4. Department of Entomology, Smith Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Ian Kaplan

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Correspondence to Elizabeth Rowen.

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Rowen, E., Gutensohn, M., Dudareva, N. et al. Carnivore Attractant or Plant Elicitor? Multifunctional Roles of Methyl Salicylate Lures in Tomato Defense. J Chem Ecol 43, 573–585 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-017-0856-6

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