Oleuropein-Specific-β-Glucosidase Activity Marks the Early Response of Olive Fruits (Olea europaea) to Mimed Insect Attack

Olive fruits are seriously deteriorated by pre and postharvest damage due to the attack of insects, such as Bactrocera olaea, which strongly alters the quality of olives. Defence response in olive fruits injured both by pathogens and by mechanical damages has been associated with the enzyme β-glucosidase, which specifically hydrolyses oleuropein, producing highly reactive aldehyde molecules. In situ detection of ^-glucosidase activity in olive fruit tissues following injury, which simulates Bactrocera oleae punctures, is reported. The assay was performed in two cultivars showing different degrees of susceptibilities to fly infestation. In both cultivars, the histochemical assay for β-glucosidase showed that within 20 min after the injury, a strong ^-glucosidase activity could be observed in the damaged tissues. Thereafter a progressive enzyme inactivation occurred starting from tissues around the boundary of the injury with decrease of the enzyme activity and stopped after 3 h. Whereas the mass of active cells reached a distance of （300±50） μm from the edge of the injury. Biochemical analyses showed that in extracts of the injured fruit, β-glucosidase activity rapidly increased within 20 min from injury, thereafter decreasing and reaching values comparable with those in intact fruits. Following puncture, the oleuropein contents did not change significantly in the high susceptibility cultivar, whereas it rapidly decreased in the cultivar showing low susceptibility. The results strongly suggest that olive fruits susceptible towards fly infestation could be related to the ability of the oleuropein-degrading-β-glucosidase to produce the highly reactive molecules in the damaged tissues. As a consequence of puncture, high level of peroxidase activity was detected. This feature also suggested that this enzyme could play a key role in the defence response against insect injuries.

Female-borne cues affecting Psyttalia concolor （Hymenoptera： Braconidae） male behavior during courtship and mating

Knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate courtship and mating behavior in Psyttalia concolor （Sz6pligeti）-a koinobiont endophagous solitary parasitoid of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae （Rossi）, and of other fruit flies-is essential to its mass rearing and management, Augmentative releases ofP. concolor for olive fruit fly control started in the Mediterranean areas in the 1950s and still continue with limited success. We determined the influence of visual and chemical cues on courtship and mating behavior of this braconid and the possible effect of the mating status of males and females in the perception of these cues. Our results suggest that integration of visual and chemical stimuli are fundamental for mate location and courtship. Indeed, the optimal response of the male was achieved when physical and chemical cues were simultaneously presented and vision and olfaction worked synergistically.

Olive fruits infested with olive fly larvae respond with an ethylene burst and the emission of specific volatiles

Olive fly（Bactrocera oleae R.） is the most harmful insect pest of olive（Olea europaea L.） which strongly affects fruits and oil production. Despite the expanding economic importance of olive cultivation, up to now, only limited information on plant responses to B. oleae is available. Here,we demonstrate that olive fruits respond to B. oleae attack by producing changes in an array of different defensive compounds including phytohormones, volatile organic compounds（VOCs）, and defense proteins. Bactrocera oleaeinfested fruits induced a strong ethylene burst and transcript levels of several putative ethylene-responsive transcription factors became significantly upregulated. Moreover, infested fruits induced significant changes in the levels of 12-oxophytodienoic acid and C12 derivatives of the hydroperoxide lyase. The emission of VOCs was also changed quantitatively and qualitatively in insect-damaged fruits, indicating that B.oleae larval feeding can specifically affect the volatile blend offruits. Finally, we show that larval infestation maintained high levels of trypsin protease inhibitors in ripe fruits, probably by affecting post-transcriptional mechanisms. Our results provide novel and important information to understand the response of the olive fruit to B. oleae attack; information that can shed light onto potential new strategies to combat this pest.