Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis determines association of individual potato foliage volatiles with onion thrips preference, cultivar and plant age

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes sporadic but serious disease in Australian potato crops. TSWV is naturally spread to potato by thrips of which Thrips tabaci is the most important. Prior studies indicated possible non-preference of potato cultivars to T. tabaci. Select potato cultivars were assessed for non-preference to T. tabaci in paired and group choice trials. Cultivars ‘Bismark’, ‘Tasman’ and ‘King Edward’ were less preferred than ‘Atlantic’, ‘Russet Burbank’ and ‘Shepody’. Green leaf volatiles were sampled using solid-phase microextraction from the headspace of potato cultivars of two ages that differed in T. tabaci preference. Analysis of headspace volatile data using Receiver Operating Characteristic curves identified individual volatiles associated with T. tabaci preference and non-preference, young and old plants and individual cultivars. These data could be used to inform breeding programs for selection of T. tabaci resistance to assist with TSWV management, and biological testing of novel thrips management compounds.