Signals in plant-insect interactions are used in pest management

In the interaction between living organisms and plants, volatile chemical compounds are often released in large quantities, an object of study in chemical ecology, a branch of science researched by professor Ted Turlings, from the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, who participates in the Symposium on Biological Control (Siconbiol), carried out from August 11th to 15th, in Londrina (PR) by the Entomological Society of Brazil and Embrapa Soja.

Aware of these interaction mechanisms, the professor is developing sensors attached to mobile robots capable of identifying signals emitted by the plant in the field that can be used to detect pests in the field. Turlings explains that when the plant is attacked by a pest, it emits odors that attract natural enemies, whether underground or in the aerial part of the plant. “When attacked at the root, the plant emits volatile substances that attract natural enemies. In this case, I carry out research with “good” nematodes that parasitize and kill beetle larvae that attack corn roots”, explains the professor.
 
Turlings' objective is to use chemical ecology to increase the level of specificity in the field so that, in the future, the producer can map the area and apply insecticides only to plots that are experiencing problems, avoiding spraying the entire crop. Another line of study by the professor is to explore these chemical signals to improve communication between plants. “We know that a plant, when attacked, warns its neighbors so that they can put their defense arsenal into action,” he says. “These plants that receive these signals are more protected and have their defense expanded”, he says.
 
In his research, the professor is identifying volatile compounds in the laboratory, as well as intensifying research into the release of these compounds in agricultural crops with the aim of increasing the defense and, consequently, the resistance of plants to attack by pests.