Plant Immunity Inducer-Enhanced Volatiles in Rice: Boosting Indirect Defense against Striped Stem Borers Through Parasitoid Attraction

Abstract

Plants employ both direct and indirect defense mechanisms to combat herbivorous insects, with volatile emissions playing a critical role in attracting natural enemies of pests. This study investigates the effects of Atailing, a plant immunity inducer, on rice (Oryza sativa) defenses against the striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis, SSB). Behavioral assays revealed that Atailing-treated rice plants significantly enhanced Trichogramma japonicum (the major egg parasitoid of C. suppressalis) attraction, increasing C. suppressalis oviposition parasitism rates (direct, 94.7%; indirect, 131.1%), confirming indirect defense as an active strategy induced by Atailing. GC-MS analysis identified six key functional compounds that significantly attract T. japonicum. Chemical and biological assays demonstrated that the concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) and trypsin inhibitors (TrypPIs) were significantly increased by 30.1% and 13.2%, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of Atailing in modulating volatile emissions to attract natural enemies and provide evidence of its potential as a sustainable pest management tool.

Keywords: Chilo suppressalis; Plant volatiles; Salicylic acid; Trichogramma.