VOLICITIN, AN ELICITOR OF PLANT VOLATILES FROM BEETARMYWORM ORAL SECRETION
Hans T. Alborn1, T.C.J. Turlings1,, T.H. Jones2,G. Stenhagen3, J.H. Loughrin1, and
J.H. Tumlinson1
1 USDA/ARS, CMAVE, PO Box 14565, Gainesville, Fl 32604,USA.
2 Department of Chemistry, Virginia military institute,Lexington, Va 24450, USA.
3 Department of Organic chemistry, Chalmers university oftechnology, S-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden.
Feeding by beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua Hubner) caterpillarsinduces corn seedlings to emit volatile compounds that attract parasiticwasps which are natural enemies of the caterpillars. Mechanical damagedoes not trigger release of the same blend of volatiles. A factor,named Volicitin, isolated from oral secretions of beet armyworm, when appliedto corn plants induces the same systemic release of volatile signals asfeeding damage by the insect. Here we present the isolation, identificationand synthesis of this key component in a chain of chemical signals andbiochemical processes that regulate tritrophic interactions among plants,insect herbivores, and natural enemies of the herbivores.