Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato
Soil nitrogen (N) supplementation via fertilizers may increase crop yields substantially. However, by increasing tissue N content, added N can make plants more attractive to herbivores, effectively reducing their resistance to herbivores (ability to avoid herbivore damage). In turn, greater pest inf...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1096 |
| _version_ | 1797555508151844864 |
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| author | Sreedevi Ramachandran Sylvie Renault John Markham Jaime Verdugo Marta Albornoz Germán Avila-Sakar |
| author_facet | Sreedevi Ramachandran Sylvie Renault John Markham Jaime Verdugo Marta Albornoz Germán Avila-Sakar |
| author_sort | Sreedevi Ramachandran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil nitrogen (N) supplementation via fertilizers may increase crop yields substantially. However, by increasing tissue N content, added N can make plants more attractive to herbivores, effectively reducing their resistance to herbivores (ability to avoid herbivore damage). In turn, greater pest infestation may cause more severe reductions in fruit production than a moderate N scarcity. In this study, we tested whether lower N supplementation results in greater resistance to whiteflies and lower fruit production in four tomato varieties. We assessed the effects of N availability on tolerance to herbivores (degree to which fitness is affected by damage) and tested for the long-hypothesized trade-off between resistance and tolerance. Plants grown at half of an agronomically recommended amount of N had greater resistance without a significant drop in fruit production. Tomato varieties differed in resistance and tolerance to whiteflies, and showed a clear trade-off between these modes of defense. Root:shoot ratios were greater at lower N, but had no clear relation to tolerance. We estimated that the economic benefit of decreasing N addition almost fully compensates for losses due to lower tomato production. Additionally, lower fertilization rates would contribute to reduce environmental costs of large-scale use of agrochemicals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:48:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c5965b6291148c199390d75eb6ed3b6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:48:31Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c5965b6291148c199390d75eb6ed3b62023-11-20T11:24:18ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472020-08-0199109610.3390/plants9091096Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in TomatoSreedevi Ramachandran0Sylvie Renault1John Markham2Jaime Verdugo3Marta Albornoz4Germán Avila-Sakar5Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2G3, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, CanadaEscuela de Pedagogía en Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Talca, Linares 3580000, ChileCentro Regional de Investigación e Innovación para la Sostenibilidad de la Agricultura y los Territorios Rurales, Centro Ceres, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota 2260000, ChileDepartment of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2G3, CanadaSoil nitrogen (N) supplementation via fertilizers may increase crop yields substantially. However, by increasing tissue N content, added N can make plants more attractive to herbivores, effectively reducing their resistance to herbivores (ability to avoid herbivore damage). In turn, greater pest infestation may cause more severe reductions in fruit production than a moderate N scarcity. In this study, we tested whether lower N supplementation results in greater resistance to whiteflies and lower fruit production in four tomato varieties. We assessed the effects of N availability on tolerance to herbivores (degree to which fitness is affected by damage) and tested for the long-hypothesized trade-off between resistance and tolerance. Plants grown at half of an agronomically recommended amount of N had greater resistance without a significant drop in fruit production. Tomato varieties differed in resistance and tolerance to whiteflies, and showed a clear trade-off between these modes of defense. Root:shoot ratios were greater at lower N, but had no clear relation to tolerance. We estimated that the economic benefit of decreasing N addition almost fully compensates for losses due to lower tomato production. Additionally, lower fertilization rates would contribute to reduce environmental costs of large-scale use of agrochemicals.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1096choice assaysdefensefertilizerherbivore preferenceherbivoryresistance |
| spellingShingle | Sreedevi Ramachandran Sylvie Renault John Markham Jaime Verdugo Marta Albornoz Germán Avila-Sakar Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato Plants choice assays defense fertilizer herbivore preference herbivory resistance |
| title | Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato |
| title_full | Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato |
| title_fullStr | Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato |
| title_short | Lower Nitrogen Availability Enhances Resistance to Whiteflies in Tomato |
| title_sort | lower nitrogen availability enhances resistance to whiteflies in tomato |
| topic | choice assays defense fertilizer herbivore preference herbivory resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/9/1096 |
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