Non-host volatiles disturb the feeding behavior and reduce the fecundity of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae

BACKGROUND The association of crops of value with companion plants could be one of the strategies to reduce the harmful effects of pests. We hypothesize that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by some aromatic plants may negatively impact M. persicae, disturbing its feeding behavior and consequently its reproduction. RESULTS VOCs emitted from six potential companion plant species affected the reproduction of M. persicae feeding on pepper plants, Capsicum annuum. Reproduction of M. persicae was reduced when exposed to VOCs from leaves of Ocimum basilicum and flowers of Tagetes patula. Thus, species and phenology of the companion plant can influence the effect. The VOCs from O. basilicum and T. patula also reduced phloem feeding by the aphids based on electropenetrography (EPG). CONCLUSION The reduced fecundity of M. persicae could be linked to aphid feeding disruption provoked by the VOCs emitted by O. basilicum in the vegetative stage or T. patula cv. Nana in the flowering stage.

Automated summary

The study found that volatile organic compounds emitted by six potential companion plant species can affect the reproduction of Myzus persicae feeding on pepper plants, with VOCs from Ocimum basilicum and Tagetes patula reducing the fecundity of aphids. Therefore, the species and phenology of companion plants can influence the impact on pests.