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Plants
Special Issues
Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology
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Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 6324

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fajun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: plant–insect relationships; plant resistance to pests; environmental entomology and climate change biology; insect physiology and insect ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lanzhi Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: new methods or techniques for pest management; integrated pest management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lei Qian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lab of Leisure Entomology, Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
Interests: plant–insect interaction; plant defense; nutrient physiology in insects; insect ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intraspecific differences in plant chemistry have different impacts on the growth, development and reproduction, and population occurrence and damage of their herbivorous insects. Plant chemistry (e.g., phenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, and glucosinolates), nutrients (including proteins, amino acids, sugars and fatty acid, etc.), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in plant tissues can be affected by biotic and/or abiotic factors, such as plant types or cultivars, soil microbes or animals, insect pests, and environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2) and photoperiod, fertilization status), in turn affecting the physiological and ecological properties and population dynamics of herbivorous insect pests, causing their adaptation response to the quality and quantity of host plants. In this Special Issue, manuscripts on the plant chemistry of agricultural and horticultural crops, shrubs and trees (including tea plants), and pasture and lawn grasses, and the impacts of plant chemical changes on the growth, development and reproduction, and adaptation of herbivorous insects are welcomed. This issue’s goal is to clarify the phenotypes and mechanisms behind the impacts of host plant chemistry on insect adaptation, especially in the current context of climate change.

Prof. Dr. Fajun Chen
Prof. Dr. Lanzhi Han
Dr. Lei Qian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant chemicals
  • plant nutrients
  • plant defense
  • plant resistance
  • VOCs
  • environmental impacts
  • fertilizer application
  • insect pests
  • insect physiology
  • insect ecology
  • population dynamics
  • growth, development and reproduction
  • insect adaptation
  • host-selection behaviour
  • feeding behaviour
  • oviposition behaviour
  • plant-insect interaction
  • climate change

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 7781 KiB  
Article
Exogenous 24-Epibrassinolide Enhanced Drought Tolerance and Promoted BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE2 Expression of Quinoa
by Ya-Li Zhou, Xin-Yong You, Xing-Yun Wang, Li-Hua Cui, Zhi-Hui Jiang and Kun-Peng Zhang
Plants 2024, 13(6), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060873 - 18 Mar 2024
Viewed by 503
Abstract
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are involved in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. The molecular mechanisms of BRs that alleviate the drought stress in quinoa have rarely been reported. Here, quinoa seedlings were treated with 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) and we transiently transferred CqBIN2 [...] Read more.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are involved in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. The molecular mechanisms of BRs that alleviate the drought stress in quinoa have rarely been reported. Here, quinoa seedlings were treated with 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) and we transiently transferred CqBIN2 to the quinoa seedlings’ leaves using VIGS technology to analyze the molecular mechanism of the BR mitigation drought stress. The results showed that EBR treatment significantly increased the root growth parameters, the antioxidant enzyme activities, and the osmolyte content, resulting in a decrease in the H2O2, O2∙−, and malondialdehyde content in quinoa. A transcriptome analysis identified 8124, 2761, and 5448 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among CK and Drought, CK and EBR + Drought, and Drought and EBR + Drought groups. WGCNA divided these DEGs into 19 modules in which these characterized genes collectively contributed significantly to drought stress. In addition, the EBR application also up-regulated the transcript levels of CqBIN2 and proline biosynthesis genes. Silenced CqBIN2 by VIGS could reduce the drought tolerance, survival rate, and proline content in quinoa seedlings. These findings not only revealed that exogenous BRs enhance drought tolerance, but also provided insight into the novel functions of CqBIN2 involved in regulating drought tolerance in plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology)
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18 pages, 5750 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Ionotropic Receptor Gene EonuIR25a in the Tea Green Leafhopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda
by Ruirui Zhang, Xiaoyue Lun, Yu Zhang, Yunhe Zhao, Xiuxiu Xu and Zhengqun Zhang
Plants 2023, 12(10), 2034; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12102034 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1232
Abstract
Ionotropic receptors (IRs) play a central role in detecting chemosensory information from the environment and guiding insect behaviors and are potential target genes for pest control. Empoasca onukii Matsuda is a major pest of the tea plant Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze, and [...] Read more.
Ionotropic receptors (IRs) play a central role in detecting chemosensory information from the environment and guiding insect behaviors and are potential target genes for pest control. Empoasca onukii Matsuda is a major pest of the tea plant Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze, and seriously influences tea yields and quality. In this study, the ionotropic receptor gene EonuIR25a in E. onukii was cloned, and the expression pattern of EonuIR25a was detected in various tissues. Behavioral responses of E. onukii to volatile compounds emitted by tea plants were determined using olfactometer bioassay and field trials. To further explore the function of EonuIR25a in olfactory recognition of compounds, RNA interference (RNAi) of EonuIR25a was carried out by ingestion of in vitro synthesized dsRNAs. The coding sequence (CDS) length of EonuIR25a was 1266 bp and it encoded a 48.87 kD protein. EonuIR25a was enriched in the antennae of E. onukii. E. onukii was more significantly attracted by 1-phenylethanol at a concentration of 100 µL/mL. Feeding with dsEonuIR25a significantly downregulated the expression level of EonuIR25a, after 3 h of treatment, which disturbed the behavioral responses of E. onukii to 1-phenylethanol at a concentration of 100 µL/mL. The response rate of E. onukii to 1-phenylethanol was significantly decreased after dsEonuIR25a treatment for 12 h. In summary, the ionotropic receptor gene EonuIR25a was highly expressed in the antennae of E. onukii and was involved in olfactory recognition of the tea plant volatile 1-phenylethanol. The present study may help us to use the ionotropic receptor gene as a target for the behavioral manipulation of E. onukii in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology)
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12 pages, 1242 KiB  
Article
Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson Flower as a Supplementary Food Promoting the Development and Reproduction of Ladybeetles Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
by Wenwen Su, Fang Ouyang, Zhuo Li, Yiyang Yuan, Quanfeng Yang and Feng Ge
Plants 2023, 12(9), 1786; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091786 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1311
Abstract
Predaceous ladybeetles are highly polyphagous predators that ingest supplementary food from flowering plants. Flowering plants widely grown in agroecosystems can sustain multiple natural enemies of agricultural pests, and the pollen and nectar resources from flowering plants may have a positive role in natural [...] Read more.
Predaceous ladybeetles are highly polyphagous predators that ingest supplementary food from flowering plants. Flowering plants widely grown in agroecosystems can sustain multiple natural enemies of agricultural pests, and the pollen and nectar resources from flowering plants may have a positive role in natural enemies. Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, an annual herb with many flowers, blooms from May to July. C. monnieri can support several predatory natural enemies, and the addition of C. monnieri strips increases the density of Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and improves the biological control of apple aphids in an apple orchard. H. axyridis is also the most important natural enemy in wheat aphid biocontrol and is attracted to healthy and aphid-infested C. monnieri plants. In addition, adult Propylaea japonica Thunberg survives significantly longer on C. monnieri flowers than on a water-only diet. In this study, a laboratory experiment was conducted to assess (i) the effect of nutritional supplements derived from C. monnieri flowers on the development and reproduction of H. axyridis under a wheat aphids-only diet; (ii) the effect of C. monnieri flowers on H. axyridis adult reproduction performance. We compared the larval durations, survival, weight, adult longevity, and reproduction of H. axyridis reared on wheat aphids-only and aphids plus C. monnieri flower diets. The results showed that H. axyridis larvae reared on aphids plus flowers had significantly greater weights and survival rates, shorter larval durations, and produced 1.62 times more eggs than those reared on wheat aphids-only diets. H. axyridis adults ingesting a C. monnieri flowers plus an aphid diet increased egg production 1.44 times compared to the aphids-only diet. Our study demonstrates that C. monnieri flowers as a supplementary food positively affect the survival, development, and reproduction performance of H. axyridis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology)
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Review

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14 pages, 1464 KiB  
Review
Intercropping Cover Crops for a Vital Ecosystem Service: A Review of the Biocontrol of Insect Pests in Tea Agroecosystems
by Sabin Saurav Pokharel, Han Yu, Wanping Fang, Megha N. Parajulee and Fajun Chen
Plants 2023, 12(12), 2361; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122361 - 18 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2385
Abstract
The intercropping of cover crops has been adopted in several agroecosystems, including tea agroecosystems, which promotes ecological intensification. Prior studies have shown that growing cover crops in tea plantations provided different ecological services, including the biocontrol of pests. Cover crops enrich soil nutrients, [...] Read more.
The intercropping of cover crops has been adopted in several agroecosystems, including tea agroecosystems, which promotes ecological intensification. Prior studies have shown that growing cover crops in tea plantations provided different ecological services, including the biocontrol of pests. Cover crops enrich soil nutrients, reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds and insect pests, and increase the abundance of natural enemies (predators and parasitoids). We have reviewed the potential cover crops that can be incorporated into the tea agroecosystem, particularly emphasizing the ecological services of cover crops in pest control. Cover crops were categorized into cereals (buckwheat, sorghum), legumes (guar, cowpea, tephrosia, hairy indigo, and sunn hemp), aromatic plants (lavender, marigold, basil, and semen cassiae), and others (maize, mountain pepper, white clover, round-leaf cassia, and creeping indigo). Legumes and aromatic plants are the most potent cover crop species that can be intercropped in monoculture tea plantations due to their exceptional benefits. These cover crop species improve crop diversity and help with atmospheric nitrogen fixation, including with the emission of functional plant volatiles, which enhances the diversity and abundance of natural enemies, thereby assisting in the biocontrol of tea insect pests. The vital ecological services rendered by cover crops to monoculture tea plantations, including regarding the prevalent natural enemies and their pivotal role in the biocontrol of insect pests in the tea plantation, have also been reviewed. Climate-resilient crops (sorghum, cowpea) and volatile blends emitting aromatic plants (semen cassiae, marigold, flemingia) are recommended as cover crops that can be intercropped in tea plantations. These recommended cover crop species attract diverse natural enemies and suppress major tea pests (tea green leaf hopper, white flies, tea aphids, and mirid bugs). It is presumed that the incorporation of cover crops within the rows of tea plantations will be a promising strategy for mitigating pest attacks via the conservation biological control, thereby increasing tea yield and conserving agrobiodiversity. Furthermore, a cropping system with intercropped cover crop species would be environmentally benign and offer the opportunity to increase natural enemy abundance, delaying pest colonization and/or preventing pest outbreaks for pest management sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Chemistry and Insect Adaptation from Physiology to Ecology)
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