ALTERATION OF VOLATILE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION IN TOBACCO PLANTS DUE TO GREEN PEACH APHID (MYZUS PERSICAE SULZER) (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) FEEDING

In response to insect pest herbivory, plants can generate volatile components that may serve multiple roles as communication signals and defence agents in a multitrophic context. In the present study, the volatile profiles of tobacco plants Nicotiana tabacum L., with and without infestation by sap-sucking aphids Myzus persicae Sulzer, were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results revealed that a total of 10 compounds were identified from healthy tobacco plants, and a total of 14 and 16 compounds were isolated from aphid-infested tobacco plants at 24 and 48 hours after infestation, respectively. Compared to intact tobacco plants, tridecane, 1h-3a,7-methanoazulene, tetradecane, pentadecane, hentriacontane, nonane, 1,8-nonadien-3-ol, heneicosane, sulfurous acid, limonene, cedrene and dichloro acetaldehyde were newly produced in aphid-infested tobacco plants, followed by five special components that only emitted from tobacco plants at 48 hours after aphid infestation, and were similar to aliphatic compounds. However, the abundance of aromatic compounds in infested tobacco plants was significantly reduced compared to intact plants. The science of HIPVs belongs to chemical ecology, which possess a powerful potential for exploiting effective and practical infochemical-based methods to regulate the population of natural enemies, and enhance the resistance of crops in an agricultural production system.