Freezing-altered palatability of Bradford pear to Japanese beetle: evidence for decompartmentalization and enzymatic degradation of feeding deterrents

The basis for resistance of Bradford callery pear, Pyrus calleryana Decaisne ‘Bradford,’ [Rosaceae] to the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, was investigated. Chloroform‐dipping rendered leaves palatable, initially suggesting that deterrent waxes had been removed. However, extracts containing surface waxes were not deterrent. Subsequent experiments showed that increased palatability of solvent‐dipped leaves is associated with enzymatic tissue browning, characteristic of polyphenol oxidases, rather than simply release of phagostimulants from surface disruption of damaged leaves. Frozen and thawed leaves showed similar browning, becoming increasingly palatable for several hours after thawing. Palatability changes were temperature‐ and aerobic‐sensitive, further evidence that oxidizing enzymes are involved. Juice from leaves that had been frozen and thawed stimulated feeding on glass fiber disks, whereas fresh leaf juice did not. Survival and fecundity were much higher for beetles fed frozen and thawed or chloroform‐dipped Bradford pear leaves than for beetles fed normal leaves. We hypothesize that decompartmentalization of deterrent compounds, possibly phenolics, followed by enzymatic oxidation and altered leaf chemistry may explain the increased palatability of chloroform‐dipped or frozen and thawed Bradford pear tissue to P. japonica. This approach may be helpful in identifying specific compounds responsible for resistance of woody plants to generalist insects.