Magnaporthe oryzae-infected rice plants repel brown planthopper infestation

Abstract Plants have evolved diverse defense strategies to combat various biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we reported that infection of rice by Magnaporthe oryzae significantly repelled the infestation of brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens). By combining volatile profiling with behavioral assays, we identified several M. oryzae-induced rice volatiles, such as (E)-2-Hexenal, 2-Heptanone, and 2-Nonanone, significantly repelled BPH infestation. Notably, the rice plants exposed to (E)-2-Hexenal and 2-Heptanone exhibited enhanced disease resistance to M. oryzae, indicating that pathogen infection triggers the emission of specific volatile signals that not only protect plants from the infection of the pathogen but also the infestation of herbivores. These findings highlight the essential roles of specific pathogen-induced volatiles in coordinating rice defense against multiple biotic threats.