Plant Pathology Commons^™

Effects Of Virus Infection On Release Of Volatile Organic Compounds From Insect-Damaged Bean, Phaseolus Vulgaris, Sarah E. Sossamon, Britney K. Jackson, B. Alison Drumwright, Kenneth L. Korth, Gisela F. Erf

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Insects can serve as important vectors of plant pathogens, especially viruses. Insect feeding on plants causes the systemic release of a wide range of plant volatile compounds that can serve as an indirect plant defense by attracting natural enemies of the herbivorous insect. Previous work suggests that the Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) prefers to feed on plants infected by either of two viruses that it is known to transmit: Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV) or Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). A possible explanation for the preferred feeding on virus-infected tissues is that the beetles are attracted by volatile signals …