Silicon fertilization in maize increases attractiveness of nocturnal herbivore-induced plant volatiles to Spodoptera frugiperda natural enemies.

Background: Silicon (Si) fertilization has been well-documented to enhance plant resistance against insect pests by increasing the abrasiveness and toughness of leaf tissues. Additionally, Si also interacts with the jasmonic acid pathway, which modulates antiherbivore induced defenses, including the emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that attract natural enemies. In this study, we examined the influence of Si fertilization on the attractiveness of nocturnal HIPVs from maize plants infested with the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith), to the predatory earwig Doru luteipes (Scudder).

Soil contamination with permissible levels of lead negatively affects the community of plant-associated insects: A case of study with kale.

This study investigated whether lead (Pb), at concentrations allowed for soil, affects the community of insects that live in the aerial part of plants. We evaluated the effect of Pb concentrations on accumulated species richness, composition, and abundance of different functional groups of insects. Kale plants were grown in soil experimentally contaminated with four concentrations of lead nitrate: 0 (control), 144 (T1), 360 (T2), and 600 (T3) mg/kg of soil.