Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Abstract Systemic insecticides are widely used to control sap-feeding pests, and their risks for natural enemies have become well-assessed in the past decades. However, most of these risk assessments focused on the direct effects when natural enemies come in contact with the sprayed leaves or forge...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14031-x |
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| author | Jie Zhang Peng Huang Yufang Pan Yi Zhao Jinai Yao Deyi Yu |
| author_facet | Jie Zhang Peng Huang Yufang Pan Yi Zhao Jinai Yao Deyi Yu |
| author_sort | Jie Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Systemic insecticides are widely used to control sap-feeding pests, and their risks for natural enemies have become well-assessed in the past decades. However, most of these risk assessments focused on the direct effects when natural enemies come in contact with the sprayed leaves or forge contaminated prey. Consequently, the indirect impacts of systemic insecticides on regulating plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and how do these affect natural enemies have been overlooked. In the current study, we examined the indirect impact of imidacloprid soil drenches on prey selection behavior and functional response of the ladybird Propylea japonica. Our findings demonstrated that systemically applied insecticides could negatively affect natural enemy behaviors by disturbing VOCs emitted from plants. Compared with those exposed to fresh air and VOCs emitted from water-treated plants, P. japonica adults exposed to VOCs emitted from imidacloprid-treated plants were less chosen, and their attack rate (a) and handling times (h) markedly decreased, which potentially weaken biological control service. Meanwhile, we also found Frankliniella intonsa was less frequently chosen for imidacloprid-treated plants. Therefore, utilizing systemic imidacloprid to control pests needs to be cautiously considered when integrated pest management strategies are set up. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-33e4c78d33bd4a4785d17b54a463a061 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-33e4c78d33bd4a4785d17b54a463a0612025-08-20T04:02:45ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-14031-xImidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)Jie Zhang0Peng Huang1Yufang Pan2Yi Zhao3Jinai Yao4Deyi Yu5Fujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Engineering Research Center for Green Pest Management, Fujian Academy of Agricultural SciencesFujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Engineering Research Center for Green Pest Management, Fujian Academy of Agricultural SciencesCollege of Tea and Food Science, Wuyi UniversityCollege of Tea and Food Science, Wuyi UniversityFujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Engineering Research Center for Green Pest Management, Fujian Academy of Agricultural SciencesFujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Engineering Research Center for Green Pest Management, Fujian Academy of Agricultural SciencesAbstract Systemic insecticides are widely used to control sap-feeding pests, and their risks for natural enemies have become well-assessed in the past decades. However, most of these risk assessments focused on the direct effects when natural enemies come in contact with the sprayed leaves or forge contaminated prey. Consequently, the indirect impacts of systemic insecticides on regulating plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and how do these affect natural enemies have been overlooked. In the current study, we examined the indirect impact of imidacloprid soil drenches on prey selection behavior and functional response of the ladybird Propylea japonica. Our findings demonstrated that systemically applied insecticides could negatively affect natural enemy behaviors by disturbing VOCs emitted from plants. Compared with those exposed to fresh air and VOCs emitted from water-treated plants, P. japonica adults exposed to VOCs emitted from imidacloprid-treated plants were less chosen, and their attack rate (a) and handling times (h) markedly decreased, which potentially weaken biological control service. Meanwhile, we also found Frankliniella intonsa was less frequently chosen for imidacloprid-treated plants. Therefore, utilizing systemic imidacloprid to control pests needs to be cautiously considered when integrated pest management strategies are set up.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14031-xSystemic insecticidesVolatilesPredation abilityNatural enemyIntegrated pest management |
| spellingShingle | Jie Zhang Peng Huang Yufang Pan Yi Zhao Jinai Yao Deyi Yu Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Scientific Reports Systemic insecticides Volatiles Predation ability Natural enemy Integrated pest management |
| title | Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) |
| title_full | Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) |
| title_fullStr | Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) |
| title_short | Imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) |
| title_sort | imidacloprid soil drenches indirectly weaken the selection and predatory ability of the coccinellid predator propylea japonica coleoptera coccinellidae |
| topic | Systemic insecticides Volatiles Predation ability Natural enemy Integrated pest management |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14031-x |
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