Loading...

Foraging response of trichogrammatids to volatile allelochemical cues in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) 


Citation :- Foraging response of trichogrammatids to volatile allelochemical cues in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.). Crop Res. 61: 357-362
JAIN SAKSHI, NAIR AKHIL, RANA VATSAL SINGH, SOOD ARUSHI, SINGH UDAI PRATAP AND KUMAR ARCHNA akumar21@amity.edu
Address : Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Noida-201313, Uttar Pradesh, India
Submitted Date : 19-03-2026
Accepted Date : 5-05-2026

Abstract

Lepidopteran pests cause major crop losses, and heavy use of chemical pesticides leads to resistance and environmental and health risks. However, there is limited understanding of chilli plant volatile cues that influence the foraging behaviour of Trichogrammatids, restricting their effective use in eco-friendly pest management. This study was conducted from July 2022 to  March 2024at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Uttar Pradesh, India, wherein the allelochemicals from the cultivar Chilli Angar E11071 were extracted, chemically characterised, and evaluated for their effects on Trichogramma japonicum, Trichogramma pretiosum, and Trichogramma chilonis. The chilli plants were cultivated under laboratory and field settings during the same growing season. Leaf samples were collected in vegetative and flowering phases for allelochemical extraction. Hexane leaf extracts were tested at concentrations of 4,000,000, 2,000,000, 1,000,000, 50,000 and 25,000 mg/L using a petri dish bioassay. The parasitoid activity index (PAI) and percent parasitization (%PARA) indicated a stronger response of trichogrammatids to volatile cues emitted from field-grown plants at the vegetative stage (VSF). Among the tested species, T. japonicum and T. pretiosum showed significantly higher stimulation. Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) revealed the presence of long-chain hydrocarbons (C21-C35) in the extracts, suggesting that chilli-derived volatile compounds may act as allelochemical cues enhancing parasitoid foraging behaviour.

Keywords

Allelochemicals parasitisation parasitoid activity index Trichogramma spp. tritrophic interactions 


References

Chormare, R. and Kumar, M. A. (2022). Environmental health and risk assessment metrics with special mention to biotransfer, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of environmental pollutants. Chemosphere 302: doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134836.
Fatouros, N. E., Cusumano, A., Danchin, E. G. J. and Colazza, S. (2022). Prospects of herbivore egg-killing plant defenses for sustainable crop protection. Ecol. Evol. 6: 6906–18. doi:10. 1002/ece3.2365.
Hawkins, N. J., Bass, C., Dixon, A. and Neve, P. (2019). The evolutionary origins of pesticide resistance. Biol. Rev. 94: 135–55.
Hu, D., Wang, D., Pan, H. and Liu, X. (2025). Molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis cry toxins in lepidopteran pests: An updated research perspective. Agronomy 15: doi:10.3390/agronomy1501055.
Jaiswal, D. K., Gawande, S. J., Soumia, P. S., Krishna, R., Vaishnav, A. and Ade, A. B. (2022). Biocontrol strategies: An eco-smart tool for integrated pest and diseases management. BMC Microbiol. 22: 1–13.
Oaya, C. S., Malgwi, A. M., Degri, M. M. and Samaila, A. E. (2019). Impact of synthetic pesticides utilization on humans and the environment: An overview. Agric. Sci. Technol. 11: 279–86.
Poveda, J. (2021). Trichoderma as biocontrol agent against pests: New uses for a mycoparasite. Biol. Control 159: doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2021.104634.
Riaz, S., Johnson, J. B., Ahmad, M., Fitt, G. P. and Naiker, M. (2021). A review on biological interactions and management of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Appl. Entomol. 145: 467–98.
Singh, S. and Kumar, A. (2022). Evaluation of foraging potential of trichogrammatids through application of straight-chain hydrocarbons. J. Exp. Zool. India 25: 233–38.
Sreekumar, K. M. and Paul, V. (2000). Mass production techniques for the rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) used for rearing egg parasitoids. J. Biol. Control 14: 1–4.
Tudi, M., Ruan, H. D., Wang, L., Lyu, J., Sadler, R., Connell, D., Chu, C. and Phung, D. T. (2021). Agriculture development, pesticide application and its impact on the environment. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 18: 1–24.
Turlings, T. C. J. and Erb, M. (2018). Tritrophic interactions mediated by herbivore-induced plant volatiles: Mechanisms, ecological relevance and application potential. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 63: 433–52.
Wyckhuys, K. A. G., Lu, Y., Zhou, W., Cock, M. J. W., Naranjo, S. E., Fereti, A., Williams, F. E. and Furlong, M. J. (2020). Ecological pest control fortifies agricultural growth in Asia-Pacific economies. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 4: 1522–30.

Global Footprints