Effects of alkaloids from fungal endophytes in grass–<i><scp>E</scp>pichloë</i>associations on survival of the sorghum plant bug (<i><scp>S</scp>tenotus rubrovittatus</i>)

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>pichloë</jats:italic>(<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content>eotyphodium</jats:italic>) endophytes are symbiotic fungi in association with gramineous plants and produce a range of alkaloids that enhance the resistance of host plants to insect pests.<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content></jats:italic>‐formylloline, one of the<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">E</jats:styled-content>pichloë</jats:italic>‐produced alkaloids, is known to be toxic to some insects but not to mammals. Therefore,<jats:italic>Epichloë</jats:italic>‐infected grasses with high<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content></jats:italic>‐formylloline concentrations are expected to reduce the population of some insect pests in meadows. To assess the adverse effects of<jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐formylloline on the survival of the sorghum plant bug (<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>tenotus rubrovittatus</jats:italic>) known as a major pest, artificial feeding of<jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐formylloline through feeding sachets was carried out.<jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐formylloline reduced the survival of<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>. rubrovittatus</jats:italic>, even at 50 ppm, which was considerably lower than the concentrations in most<jats:italic>Epichloë</jats:italic>‐infected grasses. The results suggest that<jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐formylloline in<jats:italic>Epichloë</jats:italic>‐infected grasses can reduce the population of<jats:italic><jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">S</jats:styled-content>. rubrovittatus</jats:italic>in meadows.</jats:p>