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•Optical plant characteristics are important cues to plant-feeding insects. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time that silencing the phytoene desaturase ( PDS) gene, encoding a key enzyme in plant carotenoid biosynthesis, affects insect oviposition site selection behaviour. •Virus-induced gene silencing employing tobacco rattle virus was used to knock down endogenous PDS expression in three plant species ( Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica nigra and Nicotiana benthamiana) by its heterologous gene sequence from Brassica oleracea. •We investigated the consequences of the silencing of PDS on oviposition behaviour by Pieris rapae butterflies on Arabidopsis and Brassica plants; first landing of the butterflies on Arabidopsis plants (to eliminate an effect of contact cues); first landing on Arabidopsis plants enclosed in containers (to eliminate an effect of volatiles); and caterpillar growth on Arabidopsis plants. Our results show unambiguously that P. rapae has an innate ability to visually discriminate between green and variegated green-whitish plants. Caterpillar growth was significantly lower on PDS-silenced than on empty vector control plants. This study presents the first analysis of PDS function in the interaction with an herbivorous insect. •We conclude that virus-induced gene silencing is a powerful tool for investigating insect–plant interactions in model and nonmodel plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-soil feedback (PSF) may influence plant-insect interactions. Although plant defense differs between shoot and root tissues, few studies have examined root-feeding insect herbivores in a PSF context. We examined here how plant growth and resistance against root-feeding Delia radicum larvae was influenced by PSF. We conditioned soil with cabbage plants that were infested with herbivores that affect D. radicum through plant-mediated effects: leaf-feeding Plutella xylostella caterpillars and Brevicoryne brassicae aphids, root-feeding D. radicum larvae, and/or added rhizobacterium Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r. We analyzed the rhizosphere microbial community, and in a second set of conspecific plants exposed to conditioned soil, we assessed growth, expression of defense-related genes, and D. radicum performance. The rhizosphere microbiome differed mainly between shoot and root herbivory treatments. Addition of Pseudomonas simiae did not influence rhizosphere microbiome composition. Plant shoot biomass, gene expression, and plant resistance against D. radicum larvae was affected by PSF in a treatment-specific manner. Soil conditioning overall reduced plant shoot biomass, Pseudomonas simiae-amended soil causing the largest growth reduction. In conclusion, shoot and root insect herbivores alter the rhizosphere microbiome differently, with consequences for growth and resistance of plants subsequently exposed to conditioned soil., (© 2021 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2021 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Plants are commonly exposed to abiotic and biotic stresses. We used 350 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions grown under controlled conditions. We employed genome-wide association analysis to investigate the genetic architecture and underlying loci involved in genetic variation in resistance to: two specialist insect herbivores, Pieris rapae and Plutella xylostella; and combinations of stresses, i.e. drought followed by P. rapae and infection by the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea followed by infestation by P. rapae. We found that genetic variation in resistance to combined stresses by drought plus P. rapae was limited compared with B. cinerea plus P. rapae or P. rapae alone. Resistance to the two caterpillars is controlled by different genetic components. There is limited overlap in the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying resistance to combined stresses by drought plus P. rapae or B. cinerea plus P. rapae and P. rapae alone. Finally, several candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of aliphatic glucosinolates and proteinase inhibitors were identified to be involved in resistance to P. rapae and P. xylostella, respectively. This study underlines the importance of investigating plant responses to combinations of stresses. The value of this approach for breeding plants for resistance to combinatorial stresses is discussed., (© 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.)

Upon herbivore attack, plants activate an indirect defense, that is, the release of a complex mixture of volatiles that attract natural enemies of the herbivore. When plants are simultaneously exposed to two herbivore species belonging to different feeding guilds, one herbivore may interfere with the indirect plant defense induced by the other herbivore. However, little is understood about the mechanisms underlying such interference. Here, we address the effect of herbivory by the phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci on the induced indirect defense of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to Plutella xylostella caterpillars, that is, the attraction of the parasitoid wasp Diadegma semiclausum. Assays with various Arabidopsis mutants reveal that B. tabaci infestation interferes with indirect plant defense induced by P. xylostella, and that intact jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling are required for such interference caused by B. tabaci. Chemical analysis of plant volatiles showed that the composition of the blend emitted in response to the caterpillars was significantly altered by co-infestation with whiteflies. Moreover, whitefly infestation also had a considerable effect on the transcriptomic response of the plant to the caterpillars. Understanding the mechanisms underlying a plant's responses to multiple attackers will be important for the development of crop protection strategies in a multi-attacker context., (© 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.)