BACKGROUNDThe western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a significant pest in horticulture and ornamental agriculture. While exogenous calcium (Ca) has been shown to confer plant immune responses against thrips, the detailed mechanisms of this interaction remain to be elucidated for improved thrips management strategies. This study aimed to assess the impact of exogenous Ca on WFT feeding behavior and to explore its role in enhancing the defense mechanisms of kidney bean plants against WFT attacks. We compared WFT feeding preferences and efficiency on kidney bean plants treated with H2O or Ca, and examined whether exogenous Ca improves plant defense responses to thrips attack.RESULTSWFT exhibited less preference for feeding on Ca‐treated plants over H2O‐treated ones. The total duration of WFT's long‐ingestion probes was significantly reduced on Ca‐treated plants, indicating impaired feeding efficiency. Furthermore, WFT infestation activated both jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways in kidney bean plants, and exogenous Ca application led to elevated levels of endogenous Ca2+ and CaM, up‐regulation of genes associated with JA and SA pathways (LOX, AOS, PAL, and β‐1,3‐glucanase), and increased accumulation of JA, SA, flavonoids, and alkaloids.CONCLUSIONOur findings demonstrate that the application of exogenous Ca enhances endogenous Ca2+, JA, and SA signaling pathways in kidney bean plants. This enhancement results in an up‐regulation of the biosynthesis of flavonoid and alkaloid, thereby equipping the plants with an enhanced defense against WFT infestation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

中文翻译：

---

喷洒氯化钙有助于增强芸豆植物对西花蓟马的抵抗力


背景西方花蓟马 （WFT），Frankliniella occidentalis（缨翅目：蓟马科），是园艺和观赏农业中的重要害虫。虽然外源性钙 （Ca） 已被证明可以赋予植物对蓟马的免疫反应，但这种相互作用的详细机制仍有待阐明，以改进蓟马管理策略。本研究旨在评估外源 Ca 对 WFT 取食行为的影响，并探讨其在增强芸豆植物抵御 WFT 攻击的防御机制中的作用。我们比较了用 H2O 或 Ca 处理的芸豆植物的 WFT 取食偏好和效率，并检查了外源 Ca 是否能改善植物对蓟马攻击的防御反应。结果WFT 对以 Ca处理的植物为食的偏好低于 H2O 处理的植物。WFT 的长摄入探针在 Ca处理的植物上的总持续时间显着减少，表明摄食效率受损。此外，WFT 侵染激活了芸豆植物中的茉莉酸 （JA） 和水杨酸 （SA） 信号通路，外源 Ca 应用导致内源性 Ca2+ 和 CaM 水平升高，与 JA 和 SA 通路相关的基因（LOX、AOS、PAL 和 β-1,3-葡聚糖酶）上调，以及 JA、SA、类黄酮和生物碱的积累增加。结论研究结果表明，外源 Ca 的应用增强了芸豆植物中内源性 Ca2+、JA 和 SA 信号通路。这种增强导致类黄酮和生物碱的生物合成上调，从而使植物对 WFT 感染的防御能力增强。© 2024 化工学会.