HrTPS12 gene dramatically enhanced insect resistance of sea buckthorn to infection by fruit fly (Rhagoletis batava obseuriosa Kol.)

Terpenoids emitted from plants are important for regulating plant-insect interaction. However, it is still unclear how terpenoids affect the host defense system. There are few reports of terpenoids' involvement in the mechanisms that regulate woody plants' insect resistance.The (E)-β-ocimene of terpenes was only found in RBO-resist leaves, and its content was higher than that of other type terpenes. Further, we also found (E)-β-ocimene had a significant avoidance effect on RBO and reached 87.5% of the highest avoidance rate. Meanwhile, overexpression of HrTPS12 in Arabidopsis increased the HrTPS12 expression level, (E)-β-ocimene content, and enhanced the defense against RBO. However, silencing HrTPS12 in sea buckthorn revealed that the expression levels of HrTPS12 and (E)-β-ocimene significantly decreased, causing the attraction effect on RBO.HrTPS12 was an up-regulator, which improves sea buckthorn resistance to RBO by regulating the synthesis of volatile (E)-β-ocimene. These results provide in-depth information about the interaction between RBO and sea buckthorn and provide a theoretical basis for developing plant-based insect repellents that can be used to manage RBO. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.