title: Oviposition induced volatile emissions from African smallholder farmers' maize varieties.
abstract: Maize (corn), Zea mays, is a genetically diverse crop, and we have recently shown that certain open pollinated varieties (OPVs) of Latin American origin possess a trait not present in mainstream commercial varieties: they produce volatiles in response to stemborer oviposition that are attractive to stemborer parasitoids. Here, we tested whether a similar tritrophic effect occurs in the African OPVs 'Nyamula' and 'Jowi'. Herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) were collected from plants exposed to egg deposition by the stemborer Chilo partellus. In a four-arm olfactometer bioassay, the parasitic wasp Cotesia sesamiae preferred samples containing HIPVs from plants with eggs to samples collected from plants without eggs. EAG-active compounds, including (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT), were released in higher amounts from the egg induced headspace samples. Our results suggest that this oviposition trait is not limited to S. American Z. mays germplasm, and that it could be used to increase indirect defense against attack by stemborers.
authors.affiliation: Habitat Management Programme, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya.
authors.forename: Amanuel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamiru
authors.forename: Toby J A
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Charles A O
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Midega
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Woodcock
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Birkett
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pickett
authors.forename: Zeyaur R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D060434:Herbivory; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D010058:Oviposition; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds