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Herbivore-induced volatile emissions from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings

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Abstract

The effect of herbivory on the composition of the volatile blends released by cotton seedlings was investigated by collecting volatiles from undamaged, freshly damaged (0–2 hr after initiation of feeding), and old damaged (16–19 hr after initiation of feeding) plants on which corn earworm caterpillars (Helicoverpa zea Boddie) were actively feeding. A blend of 22 compounds was consistently observed to be emitted by the old damaged plants with nine occurring either only in, or in significantly greater amounts in old damaged, as compared with freshly damaged plants. These were (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, hexyl acetate, (E)-β-ocimene, (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene, (Z)-3-hexenyl butyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate, (Z)-3-hexenyl 2-methylbutyrate, (E)-2-hexenyl 2-methylbutyrate, and indole. The nature of this response is compared with other studies where herbivore-induced volatile responses are also known. The presence of large amounts of terpenes and aldehydes seen at the onset of feeding and the appearance of other compounds hours later suggest that cotton defense mechanisms may consist of a constitutive repertoire that is augmented by an induced mechanism mobilized in response to attack. A number of the induced compounds are common to many plants where, in addition to an immediate defensive function, they are known to be involved in the attraction of natural enemies.

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Author notes

  1. Philip J. McCall

    Present address: Biomedical Sciences Division, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, L3 5QA, Liverpool, U.K.

  2. Ted C. J. Turlings

    Present address: Department of Applied Entomology, Division of Phytomedicine, ETH Zentrum/CLS, Clausiusstrasse 21, CH 8092, Zrich, Switzerland

  3. John Loughrin

    Present address: Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S225 Agricultural Site Center North, 40546-0091, Lexington, Kentucky

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Insect Attractants, Behavior and Basic Biology Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 14565, 32604, Gainesville, Florida

    Philip J. McCall, Ted C. J. Turlings, John Loughrin, Adron T. Proveaux & James H. Tumlinson

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  1. Philip J. McCall
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McCall, P.J., Turlings, T.C.J., Loughrin, J. et al. Herbivore-induced volatile emissions from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings. J Chem Ecol 20, 3039–3050 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02033709

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02033709

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