RESEARCH

Chemical Ecology | Peñaflor's group

RESEARCH

Research at LEQIIP focuses on exploring fundamental and applied questions in chemical ecology of insect-plant interactions. Among the broader fundamental questions, we investigate how plant secondary metabolites influence interactions between plants and insects of different trophic levels. In terms of applied research, we explore how soil pollutants or agricultural practices shape subsequent chemically-mediated trophic interactions.

Our studies have addressed these topics in different crop systems, such as maize, coffee, sweet pepper, beans and brassicas with support of the funding agencies CNPq, FAPEMIG and CAPES.

Selected publications (2019-)

CARMO, E. B. S. ; MACEDO-REGO, R. C. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. . Herbivory by multiple arthropods does not hinder the attraction of natural enemies to plant volatiles: insights from a meta-analysis. Current Opinion in Insect Science, p. 101347, 2025.

SANTOS, FRANCIELE ; PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V. ; PULIDO, HANNIER ; BAMPI, DAIANA ; BENTO, JOSÉ MAURICIO S. ; MESCHER, MARK C. ; DE MORAES, CONSUELO M. . The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense reduces symptoms and aphid population growth on wheat plants infected with barley yellow dwarf virus. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 292, p. 1-14, 2025.

PEREIRA, P. ; MORALES-SILVA, T. ; COELHO, R. S. ; AZEVEDO, KAMILA ; FAVARIS, A. P. ; BENTO, J. M. S. ; MARUCCI, R. C. ; SOUZA, B. H. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. . Silicon fertilization in maize increases attractiveness of nocturnal herbivore-induced plant volatiles to Spodoptera frugiperda natural enemies. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE, p. 1-9, 2025.

REIS, N. L. ; Peñaflor, M. F. G. V. ; BEIROZ, W. ; LOUZADA, J. . Cerrado ash reduces volatile emissions from faeces but does not influence the olfactory responses of the dung beetles. Science of Nature, v. 112, p. 1-10, 2025

SOUZA, L. A. ; MOREIRA, F. A. ; PENIDO, E. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. . Humic substance-based formulation in coffee seedlings: enhanced plant growth and resistance to coffee leaf miner.. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science (Online), v. 45, p. 1-8, 2025.

PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V.; MORALES-SILVA, T. ; SOUZA, B. H. S. ; HADDI, K. . Expecting the unexpected: plant-mediated and indirect effects of biopesticides on arthropod pests and their natural enemies. Current Opinion In Environmental Science & Health, v. 41, p. 100577, 2024.

DE OLIVEIRA, MARINA CHAVES ; MORALES'SILVA, TIAGO ; PEREIRA, PATRICIA ; PEC, MARVIN ; DE SOUZA, LÍVIA APARECIDA ; PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V. . Plant-mediated facilitation to conspecifics and heterospecifics by two phloem-feeding maize pests: The influence of insect identity and order of arrival. ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, v. 49, p. 1-11, 2024.

SOUZA, L. A. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. . Small but strong: herbivory by sap-feeding insect reduces plant progeny growth but enhances direct and indirect anti-herbivore defenses. OECOLOGIA, v. 204, p. 1-11, 2024.

PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V.. Beyond predator richness: How diversified cropping can enhance pest regulation. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, v. 61, p. 1-3, 2024.

COELHO, R. S. ; PEC, M. ; PEREIRA, P. ; Peñaflor, M. F. G. V. ; MARUCCI, R. C. . Predatory earwigs, Euborellia annulipes, use guava volatiles to find shelter and fruit-fly prey. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, v. 18, p. 1, 2024.

ANDRADE, F. M. ; SALES, L. ; FAVARIS, A. P. ; BENTO, J. M. S. ; MITHOFER, A. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. . Identity Matters: Multiple Herbivory Induces Less Attractive or Repellent Coffee Plant Volatile Emission to Different Natural Enemies. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY, v. 49, p. 1-14, 2023.

PEC, M. ; FERREIRA, E. A. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. Association of Non-host Crop Plants with Mandarin in Host Location and Survival of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY, v. 53, p. 1-10, 2023.

KAÇAR, GÜLAY ; BUTRÓN, ANA ; KONTOGIANNATOS, DIMITRIOS ; HAN, PENG ; PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V. ; FARINÓS, GEMA P. ; HUANG, FANGNENG ; HUTCHISON, WILLIAM D. ; DE SOUZA, BRUNO H. S. ; MALVAR, ROSA ANA ; KOURTI, ANNA ; RAMIREZ-ROMERO, RICARDO ; SMITH, JOCELYN L. ; KOCA, ABDURRAHMAN SAMI ; PINEDA, MARIA ; HADDI, KHALID . Recent trends in management strategies for two major maize borers: Ostrinia nubilalis and Sesamia nonagrioides. JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE, v. 96, p. 1-23, 2023.

NARDI, C. ; RECH, C. ; OLIVEIRA, J. R. F. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; SANTOS, F. ; BENTO, J. M. S. . Preference-performance hypothesis and host oviposition selection of Diabrotica speciosa: aboveground female avoids belowground conspecific larvae in maize. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, v. 17, p. 1, 2023.

LIMA, ANDREÍSA FABRI ; AGUIRRE, NATALIE M. ; CARVALHO, GERALDO ANDRADE ; GRUNSEICH, JOHN M. ; HELMS, ANJEL M. ; PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V. . Effects of neonicotinoid seed treatment on maize anti-herbivore defenses vary across plant genotypes. JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE, v. 96, p. 1-14, 2023.

COELHO, R. S. ; HERNANDEZ, M. M. P. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; MARUCCI, R. C. . Predation potential of the earwig on fruit fly larvae and trophic interactions with the parasitoid. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, v. -, p. 1-10, 2022.

REIS, N. L. ; BEIROZ, W. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; LOUZADA, J. . Post-fire ash residues do not affect ecological functions by Phanaeus palaeno (Coleoptera Scarabaeinae) in Cerrado grassland. ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Accepted 2022.

SOUZA, I. L. ; SILVA, D.B.; SILVEIRA, L.C.P. ; BENTO, J.M.S.; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V.; MARUCCI, R. C. A parasitoid's dilemma between food and host resources: the role of volatiles from nectar-providing marigolds and host-infested plants attracting Aphidius platensis. Science of Nature, v. 109, p. 1, 2022.

SOUZA, L. A. ; SOUZA, B. ; VASCONCELOS, R. P. ; MORALES, M. N. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. Leaf beetle herbivory shapes the subsequent flower-visiting insect community and impacts plant reproduction. Ecoscience, v. 29, p. 1-11, 2022.

FRANCO, F. P. ; TÚLER, A. C. ; GALLAN,D. Z. ; GONÇALVES, F. G. ; FAVARIS, A.P. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F. G. V. ; LEAL, W.S.; MOURA, D.S. ; BENTO, J.M.S. ; SILVA-FILHO, M.C. Colletotrichum falcatum modulates the olfactory behavior of the sugarcane borer, favoring pathogen infection. FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, v. 98, p. fiac035, 2022.

PEREIRA, P. ; NASCIMENTO, A. M. ; SOUZA, B. H. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. Silicon Supplementation of Maize Impacts Fall Armyworm Colonization and Increases Predator Attraction. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY, v. 50, p. 1-8, 2021.

VASCONCELOS, R. P. ; FILGUEIRAS, C. C. ; DORIA, J. R. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; WILLETT, D. S. The Effects of Biostimulants on Induced Plant Defense. Frontiers in Agronomy, v. 3, p. 630596, 2021.

FRANCO, F. P. ; TÚLER, A.C. ; GALLAN, D.Z. ; GONÇALVES, F. G. ; FAVARIS, A. P. ; PEÑAFLOR, M. F. G. V. ; LEAL, W.S. ; MOURA, D.S. ; BENTO, J.M.S. ; SILVA-FILHO, M.C. Fungal phytopathogen modulates plant and insect responses to promote its dissemination. ISME Journal, v. 15, p. xx, 2021.

VASCONCELOS, R. P. ; FILGUEIRAS, C. C. ; WILLETT, D. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. Sight unseen: belowground feeding influences the distribution of an aboveground herbivore. Ecosphere, v. 11, p. e03163, 2020.

OLIVEIRA, R. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; GONCALVES, F. G. ; SAMPAIO, M. V. ; KORNDORFER, A. P. ; SILVA, W. D. ; BENTO, J. M. S. Silicon-induced changes in plant volatiles reduce attractiveness of wheat to the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi and attract the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes. PLoS One, v. 15, p. e0231005, 2020.

NARANJO-GUEVARA, N. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; SILVA, D. B. ; BENTO, J. M. S. A comparison of the direct and indirect defence abilities of cultivated maize versus perennial and annual teosintes. CHEMOECOLOGY, v. X, p. 1-12, 2020.

PEREIRA, L. S. ; LOURENCAO, A. L. ; SALAS, F. J.S. ; BENTO, J. M. S. ; REZENDE, J. A. M. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. Infection by the semipersistently transmitted Tomato chlorosis virus alters the biology and behaviour of Bemisia tabaci on two potato clones. Bulletin of Entomological Research, v. 109, p. 1-8, 2019.

PEÑAFLOR, M. F. G. V.; ANDRADE, F. M. ; SALES, L. ; SILVEIRA, E. ; SANTA-CECILIA, L. V. C. Interactions between white mealybugs and red spider mites sequentially colonizing coffee plants. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, v. 143, p. 1-7, 2019.

SOUSA, A. L. V. ; SILVA, D. B. ; SILVA, G. G. ; BENTO, J. M. S. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; SOUZA, B. Behavioral response of the generalist predator Orius insidiosus to single and multiple herbivory by two cell content-feeding herbivores on rose plants. Arthropod-Plant Interactions, v. 13, p. 1-10, 2019.

DE OLIVEIRA, MARINA C. ; PEREIRA, PATRICIA ; PEÑAFLOR, MARIA FERNANDA G. V. . Does corn phenological stage alter the attractiveness of herbivore-induced plant volatiles to the predatory lacewing Chrysoperla externa (Hagen, 1861)?. Entomological Communications, v. 1, p. ec01013, 2019.

SILVA, D. B. ; BUENO, V. H. P. ; VAN LOON, J. J. A. ; PEÑAFLOR, M.F.G.V. ; BENTO, J. M. S. ; VAN LENTEREN, J. C. Attraction of three mirid predators to tomato infested by both the tomato leaf mining moth Tuta absoluta and the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY, v. 44, p. 29-39, 2018.

FREITAS, M. A. ; MEDEIROS, F. H. V. ; MELO, I.S. ; PEREIRA, P.F. ; PEÑAFLOR, M. F. G. V. ; BENTO, JOSE M.S. ; PARÉ, P.W. Stem inoculation with bacterial strains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (GB03) and Microbacterium imperiale (MAIIF2a) mitigates Fusarium root rot in cassava. PHYTOPARASITICA, v. 47, p. 1,

Master and PhD. Theses - Under construction

PhD Thesis: Patricia Pereira. Resistência de planta induzida pelo Silício a insetos pragas na cultura do milho: abordagem mecanística e aplicada. 2018. Tese (Doutorado em Doutorado em Entomologia) - Universidade Federal de Lavras, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Orientador: Maria Fernanda Gomes Villalba Peñaflor. GET ACCESS
PhD Thesis: Livia Aparecida de Souza. O dilema das plantas entre crescer, defender-se, reproduzir e gerar descendentes mais resistentes a insetos. 2017. Tese (Doutorado em Mestrado e Doutorado em Agronomia/Entomologia) - Universidade Federal de Lavras, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Orientador: Maria Fernanda Gomes Villalba Peñaflor. GET ACCESS

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