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Related Experiment Video

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Investigation of Plant Interactions Across Common Mycorrhizal Networks Using Rotated Cores

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Plant nutrient supply determines competition between phytophagous insects.

Joanna T Staley¹, David B Stafford, Emma R Green

¹Division of Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire, UK. jnasta@ceh.ac.uk

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|September 17, 2010

Summary

Fertilizer type impacts plant defenses against insect herbivores. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer reduced plant defenses, allowing more pests, unlike other fertilizers that supported indirect competition between insects.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Agricultural Science
Entomology

Background:

Indirect competition is common among herbivorous insects and is influenced by plant responses to feeding damage.
Abiotic factors, such as nutrient supply from fertilizers, can modify plant traits and alter these competitive interactions.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for managing pest populations in agricultural systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how different fertilizer types affect indirect competition between two phytophagous insect species (a phloem-feeder and a leaf-chewer) on Brassica oleracea.
To determine if nutrient supply, manipulated by fertilizer, influences plant defenses and mediates insect-plant-insect interactions.

Main Methods:

Brassica oleracea plants were cultivated using various fertilizers, including those typical of sustainable and conventional agriculture.
The impact of a leaf-chewing herbivore on a phloem-feeding aphid population was assessed across different fertilizer treatments.
Foliar nitrogen concentration was measured in plants under different fertilizer regimes.

Main Results:

The leaf-chewer significantly reduced aphid populations on plants treated with most fertilizers.
This suppressive effect was absent in plants treated with ammonium nitrate, which exhibited the highest foliar nitrogen content.
Ammonium nitrate fertilizer treatment appeared to compromise plant defenses against herbivory.

Conclusions:

Fertilizer management, specifically the use of ammonium nitrate, can disrupt plant-mediated indirect competition between herbivores.
This disruption can have significant implications for pest control strategies in both sustainable and conventional agricultural systems.
Optimizing fertilizer application is key to maintaining beneficial plant-insect interactions and managing pest outbreaks.