Something in the air? The impact of volatiles on mollusc attack of oilseed rape seedlings.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Mounting concerns about balancing food security with the environmental impacts of agro-chemical use underpin the need to better understand the mechanisms by which crop plants, particularly during the vulnerable seedling stage, attract or repel herbivores.

Methods

The feeding preferences of the mollusc Helix aspersa were determined for several oilseed rape (Brassica napus) cultivars and a rank order of acceptability was established. This was compared with glucosinolate concentrations and volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles to determine whether seedling acceptability to molluscs was linked to either form of defence.

Key results

While VOC profiles for each oilseed rape cultivar could be separated by canonical discriminant analysis and associated

SUBMITTER: Shannon RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4866317 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature