# Salicylic and jasmonic acid crosstalk manipulation by whiteflies weakens larval parasitoid recruitment

## TL;DR

Whiteflies manipulate plant hormones to reduce the attraction of a parasitoid to cabbage white butterfly larvae.

## Contribution

The study reveals how whiteflies interfere with plant signaling to avoid parasitoid detection.

## Key findings

- Whiteflies suppress salicylic acid signaling in plants.
- This manipulation reduces the attractiveness of plants to larval parasitoids.
- Egg parasitoids remain attracted to the plants despite the interference.

## Abstract

This article comments on:

Dong Y-M, Sang Y-L, Wang S-Z, Turlings TCJ, Li Y-H, Xue D-W, Zhang P-J. 2025. Interference with phytohormone signaling by whiteflies differentially affects plant attractiveness to a larval and an egg parasitoid of the cabbage white butterfly. Journal of Experimental Botany 76, 4615–4626. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf208