Sustained metabolic defense and male-specific volatile repellence shape tea plant-Helopeltis theivora interactions.

Tea plants infested by Helopeltis theivora rapidly induce JA signaling and progressively remodel auxin and phenylalanine metabolism, coordinating phenylpropanoid-flavonoid defenses.

• Why it matters: Plant defenses depend on both induced chemistry and how herbivores perceive host cues, but the linked molecular and behavioral mechanisms in tea–Helopeltis theivora were unclear.
• What they did: The study integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics, behavioral assays, and electrophysiology after infestation, tracking JA derivatives, phenylalanine accumulation, auxin remodeling, and (E)-β-ocimene emissions.
• The result: Pinobanksin-3-acetate accumulated substantially as a potential resistance component, while feeding-induced (E)-β-ocimene increased significantly and caused dose-dependent avoidance in adult male Helopeltis theivora.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.