Title: | Mint companion plants attract the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis |
Author(s): | Togashi K; Goto M; Rim H; Hattori S; Ozawa R; Arimura GI; |
Address: | "Department of Biological Science & Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science & Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, 125-8585, Japan. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, 520-2113, Japan. Department of Biological Science & Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science & Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, 125-8585, Japan. garimura@rs.tus.ac.jp" |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-018-38098-x |
ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Mint plants could theoretically serve as companion plants (CPs) that attract enemies of herbivores in tritrophic interactions. In order to explore the traits of mint volatiles as attractant cues for enemies of two-spotted spider mites, we performed Y-tube olfactometer assays of predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus, towards three mint species, apple mint, candy mint, and spearmint, as odor source. Clean candy mint and spearmint were attractive to P. persimilis, when compared with clean air and undamaged Phaseolus vulgaris plants serving as the target crop. Moreover, clean candy mint plants were even more attractive than volatiles from P. vulgaris plants damaged by spider mites. These predator responses were induced additively by candy mint volatiles plus volatiles from damaged P. vulgaris plants, as shown using both Y-tube olfactometer and open-space assay systems. However, the number of spider mite eggs consumed by P. persimilis on P. vulgaris plants did not differ in the presence compared to the absence of mint volatiles, indicating that mint volatiles affect the attraction but not the appetite of P. persimilis. Together, these findings suggest that the use of candy mint and spearmint as CPs is an ideal platform for spider mite pest management via the attraction of predatory mites" |
Keywords: | Animals Female Mentha/chemistry/*parasitology Mites/*physiology Predatory Behavior Volatile Organic Compounds/*chemistry; |
Notes: | "MedlineTogashi, Kazuki Goto, Mifumi Rim, Hojun Hattori, Sayaka Ozawa, Rika Arimura, Gen-Ichiro eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2019/02/10 Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 8; 9(1):1704. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-38098-x" |