Volatile Semiochemical Mediated Plant Defense in Cereals: A Novel Strategy for Crop Protection

Plants have evolved highly intriguing ways of defending themselves against insect attacks, including through emission of defense volatiles. These volatiles serve the plant’s defense by directly repelling phytophagous insects and/or indirectly through attracting natural enemies antagonistic to the herbivores. Several laboratory studies established the potential of improving plant resistance against insect attacks by manipulating the plant-derived volatile semiochemicals emissions. Yet, more efforts need to be conducted to translate the promising laboratory studies to fight economically-important crop pests under real field conditions. This is needed to address an increasing demand for alternative pest control options driven by ecological and environmental costs associated with the use of broad-spectrum insecticides. The practical examples discussed in this review paper demonstrate the real prospect of exploiting an inducible and constitutive plant volatile semiochemicals for developing novel and ecologically-sustainable pest management strategies to protect cereal crops from damaging insect pests.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Agronomy

• Publication date

  2017-09-01

• Fields of study

  Agricultural and Food Sciences, Biology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/AGRONOMY7030058
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• A maize landrace that emits defense volatiles in response to herbivore eggs possesses a strongly inducible terpene synthase gene

  2017cited by this paper
• Push-Pull: Chemical Ecology-Based Integrated Pest Management Technology

  2016cited by this paper
• Plant volatile-mediated signalling and its application in agriculture: successes and challenges.

  2016cited by this paper
• New directions for improving crop resistance to insects by breeding for egg induced defence.

  2015cited by this paper
• Chemical cues modulating electrophysiological and behavioural responses in the parasitic wasp Cotesia sesamiae

  2015cited by this paper
• Precision Genome Engineering and Agriculture: Opportunities and Regulatory Challenges

  2014cited by this paper
• Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles: targets, perception and unanswered questions

  2014cited by this paper
• Genome-scale transcriptional activation by an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 complex

  2014cited by this paper
• A paleobiologic perspective on plant-insect interactions.

  2013cited by this paper
• Biosynthesis, function and metabolic engineering of plant volatile organic compounds.

  2013influential reference
• How to effectively deploy plant resistances to pests and pathogens in crop breeding

  2013cited by this paper
• Correlations between physical and chemical defences in plants: tradeoffs, syndromes, or just many different ways to skin a herbivorous cat?

  2013cited by this paper
• GM as a route for delivery of sustainable crop protection.

  2012cited by this paper
• Oviposition Induced Volatile Emissions from African Smallholder Farmers’ Maize Varieties

  2012cited by this paper
• The major volatile organic compound emitted from Arabidopsis thaliana flowers, the sesquiterpene (E)-β-caryophyllene, is a defense against a bacterial pathogen.

  2012cited by this paper
• How plants give early herbivore alert: Volatile terpenoids attract parasitoids to egg-infested elms

  2011cited by this paper
• Ecological role of volatiles produced by plants in response to damage by herbivorous insects.

  2011cited by this paper
• Maize landraces recruit egg and larval parasitoids in response to egg deposition by a herbivore.

  2011cited by this paper
• The potential for modifying plant volatile composition to enhance resistance to arthropod pests

  2010cited by this paper
• Variation in natural plant products and the attraction of bodyguards involved in indirect plant defense

  2010cited by this paper
• Tackling the threat to food security caused by crop pests in the new millennium

  2010cited by this paper
• Exploiting phytochemicals for developing a 'push-pull' crop protection strategy for cereal farmers in Africa.

  2010cited by this paper
• Chemical and molecular ecology of herbivore-induced plant volatiles: proximate factors and their ultimate functions.

  2009cited by this paper
• Restoring a maize root signal that attracts insect-killing nematodes to control a major pest

  2009influential reference
• Comparative susceptibility of larval instars and pupae of the western corn rootworm to infection by three entomopathogenic nematodes

  2009cited by this paper
• Protective perfumes: the role of vegetative volatiles in plant defense against herbivores.

  2009cited by this paper
• Airborne interactions between undamaged plants of different cultivars affect insect herbivores and natural enemies

  2009cited by this paper
• Chemical complexity of volatiles from plants induced by multiple attack.

  2009influential reference
• Indirect Defense Responses to Herbivory in Grasses1

  2009influential reference
• Transgenic plants as vital components of integrated pest management.

  2009cited by this paper
• Indirect defence via tritrophic interactions.

  2008cited by this paper
• The use of push-pull strategies in integrated pest management.

  2007cited by this paper
• The products of a single maize sesquiterpene synthase form a volatile defense signal that attracts natural enemies of maize herbivores.

  2006cited by this paper
• Volatile Signaling in Plant-Plant Interactions: "Talking Trees" in the Genomics Era

  2006cited by this paper
• Biosynthesis of Plant Volatiles: Nature's Diversity and Ingenuity

  2006cited by this paper
• Early Herbivore Alert: Insect Eggs Induce Plant Defense

  2006cited by this paper
• Aphid alarm pheromone produced by transgenic plants affects aphid and parasitoid behavior

  2006cited by this paper
• Diversity and distribution of floral scent

  2006cited by this paper
• Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles induce an indirect defence in neighbouring plants

  2006cited by this paper
• Genetic Engineering of Terpenoid Metabolism Attracts Bodyguards to Arabidopsis

  2005cited by this paper
• Recruitment of entomopathogenic nematodes by insect-damaged maize roots

  2005cited by this paper
• Recruitment of predators and parasitoids by herbivore-injured plants

  2004cited by this paper
• Caterpillar-induced nocturnal plant volatiles repel conspecific females

  2001cited by this paper
• Exploiting chemical ecology and species diversity : stem borer and striga control for maize and sorghum in Africa

  2000cited by this paper
• Intercropping increases parasitism of pests

  1997cited by this paper
• Rothamsted Repository Download

  year unknowninfluential reference
• Defensive Function of Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatile Emissions in Nature

  year unknowncited by this paper

• Behavioral and electrophysiological responses of fall armyworm larval parasitoid Coccygidium luteum to maize and companion plant volatiles

  2026cites this paper
• The chemical composition of plant and insect flour as a factor that differentiates the development of storage pests

  2026cites this paper
• Semiochemical-based strategies for sustainable management of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

  2025cites this paper
• Aromatic plant–insect dynamics: molecular insights for advancing pest control strategies

  2025cites this paper
• Leaffooted Bugs, Leptoglossus phyllopus (Hemiptera: Coreidae), Are Attracted to Volatile Emissions from Herbivore-Damaged Cotton Bolls

  2025cites this paper
• Intercropping organic broccoli with Rhododendron tomentosum and Fagopyrum esculentum: a test of bottom-up and top-down strategies for reducing herbivory

  2024cites this paper
• Night-time light-traps and push–pull integrated system enhanced the control of different life stages of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

  2024cites this paper
• Insect-Resistance of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Leaves is Associated with Volatile Compounds

  2023cites this paper
• Comparative analysis of sorghum (C4) and rice (C3) plant headspace volatiles induced by artificial herbivory

  2023cites this paper
• Components and composition of active volatiles attract on Diorhabda tarsalis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Rosales: Leguminoseae)

  2023cites this paper
• Volatile Mediated Plant-Insect Interactions: A Review

  2022cites this paper
• Value Addition Through Diversification of the Sugar Industry from Farm to Mill

  2022cites this paper
• An odorant receptor of the green mirid bug, Apolygus lucorum, tuned to linalool.

  2022cites this paper
• Plant Volatiles and Their Role in Insect Olfaction

  2021cites this paper
• Bibliography

  2020cites this paper
• Repellent and Antifeedant Activities of Citral-Derived Lactones against the Peach Potato Aphid

  2020cites this paper
• The Potential use of Semiochemicals in Pest Suppression

  2019cites this paper
• Plant Perception and Short-Term Responses to Phytophagous Insects and Mites

  2018cites this paper
• Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus Induces Changes in Host Plant Volatiles that Attract Vector Thrips Species

  2018cites this paper
• Identification and Evaluation of Cotton and Tomato Plant Volatiles as Attractants for Certain Lepidopterous Insect Pests

  2018cites this paper
• Responses of Spodoptera frugiperda and Trichogramma pretiosum to Rice Plants Exposed to Herbivory and Phytohormones

  2018cites this paper
• Ripe coffee berry volatiles repel second instar nymphs of Antestia bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Antestiopsis thunbergii)

  2018cites this paper