Chemical analysis of volatiles emitted by Pinus svlvestris after induction by insect oviposition.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the headspace volatiles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) induced by egg deposition of the sawfly Diprion pini were conducted. The odor blend of systemically oviposition-induced pine twigs. attractive for the eulophid egg parasitoid Chrysonotomyia ruforum, was compared to volatiles released by damaged pine twigs (control) that are not attractive for the parasitoid. The mechanical damage inflicted to the control twigs mimicked the damage by a sawfly female prior to egg deposition. The odor blend released by oviposition-induced pine twigs consisted of numerous mono- and sesquiterpenes, which all were also present in the headspace of the artificially damaged control twigs. A quantitative comparison of the volatiles from oviposition-induced twigs and controls revealed that only the amounts of (E)-beta-farnesene were significantly higher in the volatile blend of the oviposition-induced twigs. Volatiles from pine twigs treated with jasmonic acid (JA) also attract the egg parasitoid. No qualitative differences were detected when comparing the composition of the headspace of JA-treated pine twigs with the volatile blend of untreated control twigs. JA-treated pine twigs released significantly higher amounts of (E )-beta-farnesene. However, the JA treatment induced a significant increase of the amount of further terpenoid components. The release of terpenoids by pine after wounding, egg deposition, and JA treatment is discussed with special respect to (E)-beta-farnesene.

Insect egg deposition induces Pinus sylvestris to attract egg parasitoids.

Plant volatiles released in response to feeding insects are known to attract enemies of the feeding herbivores. In this study, egg deposition by a herbivorous insect was shown to induce a gymnosperm plant to emit volatiles that attract egg parasitoids. Odour from twigs of Pinus sylvestris laden with egg masses of the pine sawfly Diprion pini attracts the eulophid egg parasitoid Chrysonotomyia ruforum. Volatiles released from pine twigs without diprionid eggs are not attractive. Oviposition by the sawfly onto pine needles induces not only a local response in pine needles laden with eggs but also a systemic reaction. Needles without eggs but adjacent to those bearing diprionid eggs also release the volatiles that attract the egg parasitoid. The elicitor of the attractive volatiles was shown to be present in the oviduct secretion coating the eggs of D. pini. When pine twigs are treated with jasmonic acid, a well-known plant wound signal, they emit volatiles that attract the egg parasitoid. These results show, for the first time, that a gymnosperm plant is able to attract parasitoids as soon as a herbivore has deposited its eggs on it. Thus, the plant appears to defend itself against herbivores prior to being damaged by feeding larvae.