α-Copaene is a potent repellent against the Asian Citrus Psyllid Diaphorina citri

α-Copaene is a potent repellent against the Asian Citrus Psyllid Diaphorina citri

Abstract The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, severely threatens citrus production worldwide by transmitting the greening (= Huanglongbing)—causing bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. There is growing evidence that the push-pull strategy is suitable to partially mitigate HLB by...

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Main Authors: Rodrigo Facchini Magnani, Haroldo Xavier Linhares Volpe, Rejane Angélica Grigio Luvizotto, Tatiana Aparecida Mulinari, Thiago Trevisoli Agostini, Jairo Kenupp Bastos, Victor Pena Ribeiro, Michele Carmo-Sousa, Nelson Arno Wulff, Leandro Peña, Walter S. Leal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
β-caryophyllene
α-humulene
α-copaene
Copaiba oil
At5g44630
Repellent
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86369-1
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Summary:Abstract The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, severely threatens citrus production worldwide by transmitting the greening (= Huanglongbing)—causing bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. There is growing evidence that the push-pull strategy is suitable to partially mitigate HLB by repelling ACP with transgenic plants engineered to produce repellents and attracting the vector to plants with a minimal disease transmission rate. Species that pull ACP away from commercial citrus plants have been identified, and transgenic plants that repel ACP have been developed. The concept of a repellent-producing plant was first demonstrated with an Arabidopsis line engineered to overexpress a gene controlling the synthesis of β-caryophyllene and other sesquiterpenes. We have analyzed the volatile organic compounds released by this Arabidopsis line and identified α-humulene, α-copaene, and trace amounts of β-elemene, in addition to β-caryophyllene. Behavioral measurements demonstrated that α-copaene repels ACP at doses ca. 100× lower than those needed for β-caryophyllene repellence. In contrast, α-humulene is innocuous at the level emitted by the transgenic plant. We confirmed that a mixture of the three sesquiterpenes in the ratio 1:100:10 repels ACP. Likewise, a commercial sample of copaiba oil containing the three sesquiterpenes, in a proportion similar to that in the transgenic plant, repelled ACP.
ISSN:2045-2322

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