Does plant domestication change the dynamics of belowground herbivore-natural enemy interactions?

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are potentially viable biocontrol agents of root pests in agricultural crops. Recent studies in maize and citrus have shown the ability of EPNs to utilize herbivore-induced responses from plant roots to locate insect hosts belowground; however, thus far no studies have considered natural habitats. In New Jersey's Pinelands National Reserve (PNR), natural populations of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) from which most popular highbush blueberry varieties were domesticated are commonly found adjacent to commercial blueberry fields. Oriental beetle (Anomala orientalis) is an invasive, prevalent root-feeding pest for which blueberry growers often use soil-applied chemicals for control. We compared differences in species infectivity and diversity of EPNs between natural and agricultural blueberry habitats to build an initial framework for studying the effects of plant domestication on belowground plant response in this system. Soil was sampled and plants were propagated from 5-10 domesticated and natural blueberry plant populations in the PNR. Soil samples taken from blueberry roots were baited with wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae to extract and identify EPNs. The overall trend was for a higher rate of infection of bait insects in soil from cultivated fields but a more diverse EPN community in natural stands.