Several beneficial microbes have been shown to activate defensive mechanisms in plants, enhancing their resistance against herbivores. However, it remains unclear whether different beneficial microbes can synergize to improve defenses in wild plants, similar to their effects in cultivated plants against insect pests. Here, we investigated the effect of the endophytic entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii, both individually and in combination with the growth-promoting rhizobacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, on plant growth and volatile emissions in the cultivated Solanum lycopersicum and its two wild parents, S. pimpinellifolium and S. habrochaites. We also assessed the ovipositional preference of the destructive pest Tuta absoluta and the olfactory responses of its natural enemy, the mirid predator Macrolophus basicornis, toward these treatments across each tomato species. Both wild and cultivated plants inoculated with M. robertsii exhibited enhanced growth and emitted higher levels of specific volatile compounds than non-inoculated plants. Furthermore, T. absoluta females laid fewer eggs on S. lycopersicum and S. habrochaites inoculated with M. robertsii. Additionally, the inoculation of this beneficial fungus resulted in increased attraction of M. basicornis to the volatiles of S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium. Interestingly, the combined inoculation of B. amyloliquefaciens and M. robertsii generally did not yield an additive effect on volatile emissions and resistance against T. absoluta compared to M. robertsii alone in wild and cultivated tomato plants. These results suggest that the inoculation of M. robertsii could be a promising tool for protecting tomato plants against T. absoluta and enhancing the attraction of its natural enemy, M. basicornis.

几种有益微生物已被证明可以激活植物的防御机制，增强它们对食草动物的抵抗力。然而，目前尚不清楚不同的有益微生物是否可以协同作用以提高野生植物的防御能力，类似于它们在栽培植物中对害虫的作用。在这里，我们研究了内生昆虫病原真菌 Metarhizium robertsii 对栽培的 Solanum lycopersicum 及其两个野生亲本 S. pimpinellifolium 和 S. habrochaites 的植物生长和挥发物排放的影响。我们还评估了破坏性害虫 Tuta absoluta 的产卵偏好及其天敌 Macrolophus basicornis 对每种番茄物种的这些处理的嗅觉反应。与未接种的植物相比，接种 M. robertsii 的野生和栽培植物都表现出更强的生长并释放出更高水平的特异性挥发性化合物。此外，T. absoluta 雌性在 S. lycopersicum 和接种 M. robertsii 的 S. habrochaites 上产卵较少。此外，接种这种有益真菌导致 M. basicornis 对 S. lycopersicum 和 S. pimpinellifolium 的挥发物的吸引力增加。有趣的是，与 M 相比，B. amyloliquefaciens 和 M. robertsii 的联合接种通常不会对挥发性排放和对 T. absoluta 的抗性产生累加效应。 罗伯特西 （Robertsii） 独自在野生和栽培的番茄植物中。这些结果表明，接种 M. robertsii 可能是一种很有前途的工具，可以保护番茄植株免受 T. absoluta 的侵害，并增强其天敌 M. basicornis 的吸引力。