Excessive Nitrogen Fertilization Favors the Colonization, Survival, and Development of <i>Sogatella furcifera</i> via Bottom-Up Effects

• Main Authors: Zaiyuan Li, Bo Xu, Tianhua Du, Yuekun Ma, Xiaohai Tian, Fulian Wang, Wenkai Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Plants
• Subjects: rice-planthopper; nitrogen levels; bottom-up effects; nutritional interaction; IPM
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/5/875

Fertilization can trigger bottom-up effects on crop plant–insect pest interactions. The intensive use of nitrogen fertilizer has been a common practice in rice production, while the yield has long been challenged by the white-backed planthopper, <i>Sogatella furcifera</i> (Horváth). High nitrogen fertilization can facilitate <i>S. furcifera</i> infestation, however, how nitrogen fertilizer leads to high <i>S. furcifera</i> infestation and the nutritional interactions between rice and <i>S. furcifera</i> are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of various levels of nitrogen fertilizer application (0–350 kg/ha) on rice, and subsequently on <i>S. furcifera</i> performance. We found that higher nitrogen fertilizer application: (1) increases the preference of infestation behaviors (feeding and oviposition), (2) extends infestation time (adult lifespan), and (3) shortens generation reproduction time (nymph, pre-oviposition, and egg period), which explain the high <i>S. furcifera</i> infestation ratio on rice paddies under high nitrogen conditions. Moreover, high nitrogen fertilizer application increased all tested rice physical indexes (plant height, leaf area, and leaf width) and physiological indexes (chlorophyll content, water content, dry matter mass, and soluble protein content), except for leaf thickness, which was reduced. Correlation analysis indicated that the specific rice physical and/or physiological indexes were conducive to the increased infestation behavior preference, extended infestation time, and shortened generation reproduction time of <i>S. furcifera</i>. The results suggested that nitrogen fertilizer triggers bottom-up effects on rice and increases <i>S. furcifera</i> populations. The present study provides an insight into how excess nitrogen fertilization shapes rice–planthopper interactions and the consequent positive effect on <i>S. furcifera</i> infestation.