Volatile Characterization of Lychee Plant Tissues ( Litchi chinensis ) and the Effect of Key Compounds on the Behavior of the Lychee Erinose Mite ( Aceria litchii )

• Published in: Biomolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 933
• Main Authors: Ataide, Livia M S, Tabanca, Nurhayat, Canon, Maria A, Schnell, Elena Q, Narvaez, Teresa I, Cloonan, Kevin R, Kendra, Paul E, Carrillo, Daniel, Revynthi, Alexandra M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 02-06-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Aceria litchii; Alcohols; Aldehydes; Allelochemicals; Animals; behavioral bioassays; Bioassays; eriophyoid mites; Esters; Flowers & plants; Fruit; Fruits; Gas chromatography; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); head-space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME); herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs); Herbivores; Leaves; Litchi; Litchi chinensis; Mass spectroscopy; Mites; Natural enemies; Pesticides; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Solid phase methods; Terpenes - analysis; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatiles; United States > US; Mauritius; head-space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME); behavioral bioassays; herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs); gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS); eriophyoid mites
• ISSN: 2218-273X; 2218-273X
• DOI: 10.3390/biom13060933

Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles (HIPVs) are volatile signals emitted by plants to deter herbivores and attract their natural enemies. To date, it is unknown how lychee plants,
, respond to the induction of leaf galls (erinea) caused by the lychee erinose mite (LEM),
. Aiming to reveal the role of HIPVs in this plant-mite interaction, we investigated changes in the volatile profile of lychee plants infested by LEM and their role on LEM preferences. The volatile profile of uninfested (flower buds, fruit, leaves and new leaf shoots) and infested plant tissue were characterized under different levels of LEM infestation. Volatiles were collected using head-space-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Fifty-eight volatiles, including terpenoids, alcohols, aldehydes, alkanes, esters, and ketones classes were identified. Using dual-choice bioassays, we investigated the preference of LEM to uninfested plant tissues and to the six most abundant plant volatiles identified. Uninfested new leaf shoots were the most attractive plant tissues to LEM and LEM attraction or repellence to volatiles were mostly influenced by compound concentration. We discuss possible applications of our findings in agricultural settings.