AUTHOR=Tan Weiwen , Zhang Ni , Wang Jinqiu , Pu Tianyi , Hu Jifeng , Li Can , Song Yuehua 

TITLE=Fumigant activity and transcriptomic analysis of two plant essential oils against the tea green leafhopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1217608

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2023.1217608

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> The tea green leafhopper, <italic>Empoasca</italic> (<italic>Matsumurasca</italic>) <italic>onukii</italic> Matsuda, R., 1952 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is currently one of the most devastating pests in the Chinese tea industry. The long-term use of chemical pesticides has a negative impact on human health, impeding the healthy and sustainable development of the tea industry in this region. Therefore, there is a need for non-chemical insecticides to control <italic>E. onukii</italic> in tea plants. The essential oils from plants have been identified for their potential insecticidal ability; however, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of plant essential oils on <italic>E. onukii</italic> and its gene expression.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> In order to address these knowledge gaps, the components of <italic>Pogostemon cablin</italic> and <italic>Cinnamomum camphora</italic> essential oils were analyzed in the present study using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The fumigation toxicity of two essential oils on <italic>E. onukii</italic> was tested using sealed conical flasks. In addition, We performed comparative transcriptome analyses of <italic>E. onukii</italic> treated with or without <italic>P. cablin</italic> essential oil.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The 36-h lethal concentration (LC<sub>50</sub>) values for <italic>E. onukii</italic> treated with <italic>P. cablin</italic> and <italic>C. camphora</italic> essential oils were 0.474 and 1.204 μL mL<sup>−1</sup> respectively. Both essential oils exhibited the potential to control <italic>E. onukii</italic>, but the fumigation activity of <italic>P. cablin</italic> essential oil was more effective. A total of 2,309 differentially expressed genes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing of <italic>E. onukii</italic> treated with <italic>P. cablin</italic> essential oil.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Many of differentially expressed genes were found to contain detoxifification genes, indicating that these families may have played an important role when <italic>E. onukii</italic> was exposed to essential oil stress. We also found differential expression of genes related to redox-related gene families, suggesting the upregulation of genes associated with possible development of drug and stress resistance. This work offers new insights for the prevention and management of <italic>E. onukii</italic> in the future.</p>