Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis
Plants are constantly exposed to touch and mechanical stimuli in natural environments, from rain, wind, animals and plant neighbours. However, current knowledge and understanding of how touch physiologically affects plants are limited. This experimental study aimed to explore whether morphological r...
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| Formato: | M2 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés sueco |
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SLU/Dept. of Plant Protection Biology
2022
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| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855572984406736896 |
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| author | Magnusson, Anna |
| author_browse | Magnusson, Anna |
| author_facet | Magnusson, Anna |
| author_sort | Magnusson, Anna |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | Plants are constantly exposed to touch and mechanical stimuli in natural environments, from rain, wind, animals and plant neighbours. However, current knowledge and understanding of how touch physiologically affects plants are limited. This experimental study aimed to explore whether morphological responses such as changes in growth could be expressed in cotton and maize plants as a result of a mechanical touch treatment. Previous studies have also found that mechanical touch treatments can induce increased resistance. Following these implications, effect on feeding preference in a herbivore was also examined. The treatment consisted of brief daily sweeping with a soft brush on fully mature leaves for fourteen days. Plant height and biomass distribution were measured in cotton and maize. Trichome and epidermal gland density were compared between touch-treated and untreated cotton plants. A dual choice test was conducted on cotton using the generalist Egyptian Cotton Leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis).
The touch treatment affected morphology in both plant species. Plant height was greater in touch-treated maize but reduced in treated cotton. Treated cotton plants allocated more biomass to leaves compared to other plant parts than in control plants, while no such difference in distribution of biomass was found in maize. Observations of trichome and epidermal gland density indicated an increase of these in touch-treated plants. The larval dual choice test did not show any significant difference in feeding preference for any of the treatments. These results suggest that touch may elicit neighbour detection-related responses, but may not be a strong enough stimulus to induce herbivore-related plant defences. |
| format | M2 |
| id | RepoSLU17967 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Inglés swe |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Plant Protection Biology |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Plant Protection Biology |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU179672022-07-08T10:54:51Z Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis Beröring av bomull och majs : påverkan på växtmorfologi och födopreferens hos en skadegörare Magnusson, Anna Mechanical stimuli cotton maize thigmomorphogenesis Spodoptera littoralis induced defence plant-plant interaction Plants are constantly exposed to touch and mechanical stimuli in natural environments, from rain, wind, animals and plant neighbours. However, current knowledge and understanding of how touch physiologically affects plants are limited. This experimental study aimed to explore whether morphological responses such as changes in growth could be expressed in cotton and maize plants as a result of a mechanical touch treatment. Previous studies have also found that mechanical touch treatments can induce increased resistance. Following these implications, effect on feeding preference in a herbivore was also examined. The treatment consisted of brief daily sweeping with a soft brush on fully mature leaves for fourteen days. Plant height and biomass distribution were measured in cotton and maize. Trichome and epidermal gland density were compared between touch-treated and untreated cotton plants. A dual choice test was conducted on cotton using the generalist Egyptian Cotton Leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis). The touch treatment affected morphology in both plant species. Plant height was greater in touch-treated maize but reduced in treated cotton. Treated cotton plants allocated more biomass to leaves compared to other plant parts than in control plants, while no such difference in distribution of biomass was found in maize. Observations of trichome and epidermal gland density indicated an increase of these in touch-treated plants. The larval dual choice test did not show any significant difference in feeding preference for any of the treatments. These results suggest that touch may elicit neighbour detection-related responses, but may not be a strong enough stimulus to induce herbivore-related plant defences. Växter utsätts ständigt för beröring och mekaniska stimuli i naturliga miljöer, från regn, vind, djur och angränsande växter. Men nuvarande kunskap och förståelse för hur beröring påverkar växter fysiologiskt är begränsad. Denna experimentella studie hade som syfte att undersöka huruvida morfologiska förändringar i tillväxt kunde uttryckas i bomulls- och majsplantor som ett resultat av en mekanisk beröringsbehandling. Vidare undersöktes effekter på födopreferens hos en växtskadegörare, då tidigare studier rapporterat inducerad resistens mot skadedjur som följd av mekanisk stimulans. Behandlingen bestod av daglig beröring med en mjuk borste på fullt utvecklade blad under två veckors tid. Planthöjd och biomassafördelning mättes i bomull och majs. Densitet av trikomer och epidermiska glander jämfördes mellan beröringsbehandlade och obehandlade bomullsplantor. Ett tvåvalstest utfördes på bomull med en generalistisk växtskadegörarlarv (Spodoptera littoralis). Beröringsbehandlingen påverkade morfologin hos båda växtarterna. Plantorna var högre i behandlad majs men lägre i behandlad bomull jämfört med kontrollplantor. Behandlade bomullsplantor allokerade mer biomassa till blad jämfört med andra växtdelar än i kontrollplantor, medan ingen sådan skillnad i distribution av biomassa visades i majs. Observationer av trikomer och glander indikerade en ökning av dessa hos beröringsbehandlade bomullsplantor. Tvåvalstestet visade inte någon signifikant skillnad i födopreferens hos larven för någon av behandlingarna. Resultaten indikerar att beröring verkar kunna framkalla konkurrensliknande respons i växter, men är troligtvis inte en tillräckligt stark stimulans för att inducera växtförsvar mot herbivora skadegörare. SLU/Dept. of Plant Protection Biology 2022 M2 eng swe https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17967/ |
| spellingShingle | Mechanical stimuli cotton maize thigmomorphogenesis Spodoptera littoralis induced defence plant-plant interaction Magnusson, Anna Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title | Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title_full | Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title_short | Effect of Touch on Cotton and Maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in Spodoptera littoralis |
| title_sort | effect of touch on cotton and maize : influence on plant morphology and feeding preference in spodoptera littoralis |
| topic | Mechanical stimuli cotton maize thigmomorphogenesis Spodoptera littoralis induced defence plant-plant interaction |