Evaluation of induced responses, insect population growth, and host-plant fitness may change the outcome of tests of the preference-performance hypothesis: a case study

The preference‐performance hypothesis predicts that insect preference should correspond to host suitability for offspring development. We studied the pattern of within‐plant preference in the aphid Sipha flava and its consequences for offspring performance on the host‐plant Sorghum halepense, regarding the role of induced responses of plants to aphid feeding. The consequences of within‐plant preference on aphid population growth and host‐plant traits were also evaluated. Our results showed that winged and wingless aphids preferred to settle on mature rather than young leaves. In contrast, aphid individual growth rate was higher on young leaves when compared with mature leaves, suggesting that the outcome of this test rejected the preference‐performance hypothesis. However, the inclusion of the factor ‘previous aphid infestation’ changed the outcome from a maladaptive choice to a neutral one. Thus, individual growth rates of S. flava increased when aphids developed on leaves that had been previously infested. Interestingly, aphid growth rate on previously infested leaves did not differ between young and mature leaves. On the other hand, aphid population reproductive rate was higher and the percentage of winged aphids lower when infestation occurred on mature rather than young leaves. Aphid infestation reduced plant and shoot biomass, and increased leaf mortality. These negative effects on plant traits related to plant fitness were greater when aphid infestation occurred on young leaves. Likewise, whereas infestation on mature leaves did not cause a significant reduction in the number of flowering plants compared with control plants, aphid infestation on young leaves did reduce the number of plants at the flowering stage. Consequently, if both the reproductive rate of aphids in the mid‐term, and host‐plant fitness are taken into account, the results indicate that aphid preference for mature leaves may be an adaptive choice, thus supporting the preference‐performance hypothesis.     

Feeding Experience of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Affects Their Performance on Different Host Plants

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B is extremely polyphagous with >600 species of host plants. We hypothesized that previous experience of the whitefly on a given host plant affects their host selection and performance on the plants without previous experience. We investigated the host selection for feeding and oviposition of adults and development and survival of immatures of three host-plant-experienced populations of B. tabaci, namely Bemisia-eggplant, Bemisia-tomato and Bemisia-cucumber, on their experienced host plant and each of the three other plant species (eggplant, tomato, cucumber and pepper) without previous experience. We found that the influence of previous experience of the whiteflies varied among the populations. All populations refused pepper for feeding and oviposition, whereas the Bemisia-cucumber and the Bemisia-eggplant strongly preferred cucumber. Bemisia-tomato did not show strong preference to any of the three host palnts. Development time from egg to adult eclosion varied among the populations, being shortest on eggplant, longest on pepper, and intermediate on tomato and cucumber except for the Bemisia-cucumber developed similarly on tomato and pepper. The survivorship from egg to adult eclosion of all populations was highest on eggplant (80-98%), lowest on pepper (0-20%), and intermediate on tomato and cucumber. In conclusion, the effects of previous experience of whiteflies on host selection for feeding and oviposition, development, and survivorship varied depending on host plants, and host plants play a stronger role than previous experience. Preference of feeding and oviposition by adults may not accurately reflect host suitability of immatures. These results provided important information for understanding whitefly population dynamics and dispersal among different crop systems.     

Identification of genes differentially expressed in husk tomato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Physalis philadelphica</Emphasis>) in response to whitefly (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trialeurodes vaporariorum</Emphasis>) infestation

Plants respond to phloem-feeding whiteflies by extensive changes in gene expression. To identify differentially expressed genes in husk tomato plants (Physalis philadelphica) infested with Trialeurodes vaporariorum, young plants were challenged with adult whiteflies, and forward and reverse subtractive libraries were constructed from infested leaves at 5 and 15 days after infestation. Several genes were identified as up-regulated; these included a diversity of genes involved in plant defense responses, protein synthesis or degradation, and cell wall fortification or modification. Genes required for amino acid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism and synthesis, including cell surface components such as suberin, responses to stress, photosynthesis and other functions, were similarly induced. Down-regulated genes were also identified, most prominently kinases and aquaporin genes. Similarities in defense responses between tomato and P. philadelphica were noted regarding the expression of certain genes in response to nematode, aphid, or whitefly. A role for abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, and cytokinins in the regulated response to whitefly infestation in P. philadelphica was also implied by the expression pattern of phytohormone-associated genes, including genes coding for proteins containing F-box motifs. Differential expression of selected genes was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. The possible role played by some of these genes during whitefly infestation is discussed.     

Influence of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) infestation and squash silverleaf disorder on zucchini seedling growth

We investigated the effect of different levels of infestation by whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, on the growth and pigment concentrations of seedlings of zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L., that differed in their tolerance to squash silverleaf disorder. Genetically similar sister lines that were either tolerant (ZUC76-SLR) or susceptible (ZUC61) to silverleaf disorder exhibited reduced plant height, internode length, plant dry weight, and petiole length in response to whitefly feeding. Similar plant growth responses to whitefly feeding were observed despite that the foliage of ZUC61 silvered severely, whereas the foliage of ZUC76-SLR showed no silvering in a greenhouse experiment conducted in the spring and showed only minimal silvering in a similar greenhouse experiment conducted in the fall. In plants of both sister lines infested with 50 pairs of whiteflies and their progeny, petioles, but not the leaf blades, of uninfested leaves had reduced chlorophyll content. In another experiment, two different genetic sources of tolerance to silverleaf disorder (ZUC33-SLR/PMR and ZUC76-SLR) and a commercial silverleaf-susceptible zucchini hybrid ('Zucchini Elite') responded similarly to whitefly feeding, except the tolerant genotypes did not exhibit leaf silvering. All genotypes, silverleaf tolerant or not, had reduced dry weight, plant height, and internode length that became more pronounced as whitefly infestation increased. All genotypes had reduced levels of chlorophylls and carotenoids in uninfested young leaf blades and petioles from infested plants. Petioles, however, were more affected by feeding than leaf blades, showing a 66% reduction in chlorophylls a+b and carotenoids at the lowest infestation level (30 pairs of whitefly and their progeny), whereas pigments in leaf blades declined more slowly in response to whitefly feeding density, averaging 14-15% less at the highest infestation level (90 pairs of whitefly and their progeny). We conclude that tolerance to silverleaf disorder does not prevent stunting in zucchini seedlings nor does it protect against the systemic loss of photosynthetic and protoprotectant pigments induced by feeding of B. argentifolii whiteflies.     

Preinfestations of tomato plants by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) or aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) induce variable resistance or susceptibility responses

In addition to constitutive plant resistance against pests or pathogens, plants can activate protective mechanisms upon contact with an invader or a chemical elicitor. Studies on induced plant resistance to herbivores, especially piercing-sucking insects, are less abundant than those devoted to pathogens. Several experiments under controlled conditions have been conducted to demonstrate that infestations by Macrosiphum euphorbiae induce plant resistance to Bemisia tabaci in susceptible tomato plants. After three days of exposure to 20 apterous adult aphids, the plants acquired a transiently induced resistance to B. tabaci when aphid removal occurred one or 18 hours prior to B. tabaci infestation; the effect disappeared when four days passed between aphid and whitefly infestations. The resistance observed was both locally and systemically induced. Other assays were performed to evaluate the effect of preinfestation with ten adults of B. tabaci during 48 h on the tomato responses to two different clones (Sp and Nt) of M. euphorbiae. The numbers of nymph and adult aphids were counted after the same time interval as the pre-reproductive period and 20 (Sp clone) or 22 (Nt clone) days after adult aphid removal. The tomato responses induced by whitefly feeding depend on the aphid clone. For the Sp clone, the number of aphid nymphs ten days after adult removal was significantly higher on whitefly preinfested plants than on uninfested plants. However, no significant differences were observed when the aphid clone Nt was tested. The duration of plant response to a previous infestation by B. tabaci is apparently limited.     

Effect of black bean aphid, Aphis fabae, on transpiration, stomatal conductance and crude protein content of faba bean

This study was initiated to investigate effects of damage by 0, 5 and 10 aphids/plant on the physiology of faba bean plants throughout different feeding periods and at two plant development stages. Immediately following removal of Aphis fabae, measurements showed 84–229% increase in transpiration rate. These changes were proportional to the number of aphids and infestation duration. Injury by A. fabae caused the stomatal conductance to be much higher in the leaves of infested plants. Leaf stomatal conductance of the infested plants increased significantly by 51–224% depending on initial aphid densities and feeding intervals. This increase was proportional to the infestation level for each date. Length of infestation period and plant growth stage seemed to have no clear effect on stomatal apertures. Aphid feeding caused a damage of about 7–33% of crude protein levels in the leaf tissue. This reduction increased with increasing infestation levels and time, except for 28‐day‐old plants on 28 days. The physiological effects of aphid feeding on water vapour and chemical composition of damaged leaves are particularly serious when the population is high.     

Population suppression of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) using yellow sticky traps and Eretmocerus nr. rajasthanicus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on tomato plants in greenhouses

We conducted three experiments for management of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype ‘B’ on tomatoes under greenhouse conditions: (i) vertically placing yellow sticky cards either parallel or perpendicular to tomato rows at a rate of 1 per 3‐m row; (ii) releasing Eretmocerus sp. nr. rajasthanicus once at 30 adults/m² in the high whitefly density greenhouses (> 10 adults/plant), or twice at 15 adults/m² at a 5‐day interval in the low whitefly density greenhouses (< 10 adults/plant); and (iii) using combinations of yellow sticky cards that were placed vertically parallel to tomato rows and parasitoids released once at 30/m² in high whitefly density greenhouses or twice at 15/m² at a 5‐day interval in low whitefly density greenhouses. Our data show that yellow sticky cards trapped B. tabaci adults and significantly reduced whitefly populations on tomato. The yellow sticky cards that were placed parallel to tomato rows caught significantly more whitefly adults than those placed perpendicular to tomato rows on every sampling date. In the treatment where parasitoids were released once at 30/m² in high whitefly density greenhouses, the number of live whitefly nymphs were reduced from 4.6/leaf to 2.9/leaf in 40 days as compared with those on untreated plants on which live whitefly nymphs increased from 4.4/leaf to 8.9/leaf. In the treatment where parasitoids were released twice at 15/m² in low whitefly density greenhouses, the numbers of live nymphs of B. tabaci on tomato leaves were reduced from 2.1/leaf to 1.7/leaf in 20 days as compared with those on untreated plants on which numbers of live nymphs of B. tabaci increased from 2.2/leaf to 4.5/leaf. In the treatment of yellow sticky cards and parasitoid release once at 30/m² in high whitefly density greenhouses, the numbers of live nymphs of B. tabaci on tomato leaves were reduced from 7.2/leaf to 1.9/leaf, and in the treatment of yellow sticky cards and parasitoid release twice at 15/m² at a 5‐day interval at low whitefly density, the numbers of live nymphs of B. tabaci on tomato leaves were reduced from 2.5/leaf to 0.8/leaf; whereas the numbers of live nymphs of B. tabaci on untreated plants increased from 4.4/leaf to 8.9/leaf. An integrated program for management of B. tabaci on greenhouse vegetables by using yellow sticky cards, parasitoids and biorational insecticides is discussed.     

Resistance to Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in various soybean lines under controlled laboratory conditions

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., native to Asia, has recently become a principal pest of this crop in many areas of North America. Insecticides are currently used to manage A. glycines, but host plant resistance is a potential alternative management tool. Tests were conducted to determine resistance to A. glycines among soybean lines. 'Cobb,' 'Tie-feng 8,' and 'Jackson' were resistant to population growth of A. glycines compared with 'Cook' and '91B91,' a susceptible control. Antibiosis was evident in Cobb, Jackson, and Tie-feng 8 from lowered survival of first generation A. glycines, and in Cobb, Jackson, Tie-feng 8, and 'Braxton' from diminished reproduction by first generation aphids. Antixenosis was apparent in Cobb and Jackson during initial infestation of aphid population growth tests, because A. glycines were unsettled and dispersed readily from placement points on unifoliolate leaves. Decreased nymphiposition by A. glycines occurred on Cobb and Jackson, and it may have been caused by antibiotic chemicals in these lines, failure of aphids to settle, or both. Differences in distribution of A. glycines between unifoliolate leaves and other shoot structures suggest that unifoliolate leaves were acceptable feeding sites on 91B91 and Cook, whereas unifoliolate leaves and other shoot structures were roughly equally acceptable feeding sites on Braxton, Tie-feng 8, Jackson, and Cobb. However, Jackson and Cobb had relatively low counts of A. glycines on shoots that may have been due to abandonment of plants by aphids, decreased aphid survival, or both. Results confirm earlier findings that Jackson is a strong source of resistance to A. glycines, and they suggest that Tie-feng 8, Braxton, and especially Cobb are potentially useful sources of resistance.     

The effect of Brevicoryne brassicae on leaf area, dry matter distribution and amino acids of the Brussels sprout plant

Twenty-six direct or derived criteria were assessed, eight wk after infestation, of the effect of an initial inoculum of 0, 5, 25 or 50 Brevicoryne brassicae on the growth and dry matter distribution of Brussels sprout plants. Twenty-four of these criteria showed significant (P > 0.05) effects of aphid infestation, though increasing aphid infestation above 5/plant had little further effect. Total fresh and dry weight (as well as of the components — leaves, stems and roots) was reduced by 25–730 with infestation, particularly so the root. The number of leaves as well as individual leaf area was reduced, and leaves on infested plants were less efficient assimilators. This could be explained by the drain on assimilates caused by the aphids, the leaf curling and the reduced density of stomata. The latter was also considered to account partly for the increased moisture content of infested plants. There was a general reduction in the concentration of leaf amino acids.     

Preference and performance of Anagrus nilaparvatae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae): effect of infestation duration and density by Nilaparvata lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae)

The effect of Nilaparvata lugens (St?l) infestation duration and density on the host preference and performance of Anagrus nilaparvatae Pang et Wang, an egg parasitoid of rice planthoppers, was determined. The results showed that the parasitoid preferred N. lugens eggs on the plants infested with 10 gravid N. lugens females for 1 d to those plants infested with 10 gravid females for 2 or 3 d. It was also found to prefer N. lugens eggs on plants infested with 10 or 20 adult females after 24 h of infestation to those plants infested with 5 or 80 females. The parasitoid's offsprings had lower survival rates, fecundities, female ratios, indexes of capacity for population increase, and longer developmental durations on plants when they were infested with high N. lugens density (80 adult females per plant). However, the performance of the parasitoid on plants infested with low N. lugens density (5 female adults per plant) was similar to those on plants with intermediate N. lugens density (10 or 20 adult females per plant). Low preference of the parasitoid for N. lugens eggs on plants with heavy or light infestation levels may be correlated with low host suitability and detectability, respectively. The result implies an important role of herbivore-induced rice volatiles in the host preference of the parasitoid A. nilaparvatae, by which the parasitoid perceives the host and its suitability.     

Changes in photosynthetic and transpiration rates of cotton leaves infested with the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii: Unrestricted infestation

The influence of aphid, Aphis gossypii, feeding on photosynthesis and transpiration in cotton plants was investigated under greenhouse conditions. Four population densities of 0, 5, 10, and 25 aphids were used to infest individual cotton leaves. Gas exchange rates were determined for single attached cotton leaves after 9, 18, and 27 days of aphid infestation. Aphid feeding changed photosynthetic rates and transpiration rates. These changes were proportional to the number of aphids and the length of infestation period. Photosynthetic rates were significantly reduced in infested leaves with 25 aphids over 18 days, whereas significant reduction in photosynthetic rates was recorded within 27 days in infested leaves with 5, 10, and 25 aphids in comparison to their respective control. Initial population of 10 aphids increased significantly the transpiration rate of infested leaves over 9 and 27 days. Leaves of plants with 25 aphids had significantly greater transpiration rate than the control at all times.     

A functional response evaluation of pre-infestation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bemisia tabaci</Emphasis> cryptic species MEAM1 on predation by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Propylea japonica</Emphasis> of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myzus persicae</Emphasis> on host plant tomatoes

Herbivore feeding on host plants may induce defense responses of the plant which influence other herbivores and interacting species in the vicinity, such as natural enemies. The present work evaluated the impact of pre-infestation with the tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci cryptic species MEAM 1, on the predation ability of the ladybird Propylea japonica, to the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, on tomato plants. The results show that B. tabaci pre-infestation density, duration, and leaf position, can impact prey consumed by P. japonica under various aphid densities. The aphids consumed by P. japonica in each treatment were fit using the Holling type II functional response equation. The predatory efficiency (a/T _h) of P. japonica was the highest in the treatment with 60 aphids and 48-h infestation directly on damaged leaves. The predatory efficiencies of P. japonica decreased with a reduction of pre-infestation density and duration. We also observed that pre-infestation on young and undamaged leaves increased predation by P. japonica.     

Non-consumptive effects of the predatory beetle Delphastus catalinae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on habitat use patterns of adult whitefly Bemisia argentifolii (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

This study examined habitat use patterns by adult whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows and Perring, in response to predators, Delphastus catalinae (Horn), at different spatial scales. When female whiteflies were confined to small arenas with leaf discs from which they could not escape, whiteflies significantly delayed settling on leaf discs when predators were present compared to when no predators were introduced. The presence of D. catalinae altered the vertical distribution of adult whiteflies (sex ratio = 1:1) on cucumber plants; adult whiteflies moved upward faster over time within the plant canopy when predators were present mainly on the lower leaves of the plants compared to whiteflies on plants without predators. Most D. catalinae remained in the lower parts of the plants during the experiment. Therefore, we inferred that female whiteflies more quickly moved to the upper plant strata to reduce the risk of predation of their progeny; this would induce subsequent movement of males seeking mates. Introduction of D. catalinae onto a cucumber plant with high whitefly density did not cause increased dispersal of adult whiteflies (sex ratio = 1:1) into neighboring uninfested plants. The results indicate that predator-avoidance behaviors by adult B. argentifolii differed at different spatial scales. The predator-avoidance behavior may have a negative impact at the within-plant scale by inducing more whiteflies to move into upper plant strata. However, the effect of predators on the among-plant dispersal of whiteflies was not significant.     

3种寄主上桃蚜的选择性及形态分化

桃蚜是一种重要的农业害虫,寄主广泛,种下分化复杂。以采自黄土高原旱作区桃树、烟草、甘蓝上的桃蚜为研究对象,通过叶片选择法、传统比较形态测定法研究了3种寄主上桃蚜的选择性及形态分化。结果表明:在3种寄主同时存在的情况下,烟草上的桃蚜嗜食烟草,表现为63.5%的桃蚜选择烟草叶,13.8%选择甘蓝叶,8.2%选择桃叶,而甘蓝和桃树上的桃蚜对原寄主没有表现出明显的嗜好性;从形态指标来看,3种寄主上的桃蚜在体长、触角末节长度、后足腿节长度、触角与体长的比例方面存在显著差异(P0.05),说明这几个特征可以作为区分这3种寄主上桃蚜的依据。综合分析可以初步认为黄土高原旱作区烟草上的桃蚜可能形成了寄主专化型-烟草型。     

Root nematode infection enhances leaf defense against whitefly in tomato

The foliar response to different herbivores sharing the same hosts is an important topic for the study of plant-insect interactions. Plants evolve local and systemic resistant strategies to cope with herbivores. Many researchers have characterized the mechanisms of leaf responses to insect infestation; however, the fact that roots serve as systemic resistance modulators to leaf herbivores has been widely ignored. Here, we report that tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants infected with southern root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita)—which feed on the roots to form nodules—enhanced leaf defenses against aboveground attackers, specifically, the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). Our results show that nematode infection reduced the whitefly population abundance because of conferring a stronger SA-dependent defense pathway against whitefly than in tomato plants without nematode infection. Meanwhile, nematode-infected tomato plant also activated the foliar JA-dependent defense pathway at 4 h after whitefly infestation. However, the foliar JA-dependent defense under whitefly infestation alone was suppressed, with the JA content being nearly 30 % lower than that in tomato plants co-infected with nematodes and whiteflies. Furthermore, nematode infection significantly decreased the plant nitrogen concentration in leaves and roots. As a result, nematode infection reduced the number of whiteflies by enhancing foliar SA-dependent defense, activating JA-dependent defense and decreasing nitrogen nutrition. Our results suggest that underground nematode infection significantly enhances the defense ability of tomato plants against whitefly.     

Salicylic acid-mediated reductions in yield in Nicotiana attenuata challenged by aphid herbivory

Aphid herbivory decreases primary production in natural ecosystems and reduces crop yields. The mechanism for how aphids reduce yield is poorly understood as some studies suggest aphid feeding directly impedes photosynthesis, whereas other studies suggest a change in allocation of resources from growth to defense compounds reduces yield. To determine the mechanisms underlying reduced plant growth by aphids, Nicotiana attenuata plants, native tobacco, were infested with Myzus persicae ssp. nicotianae, tobacco-adapted green peach aphids, at low and high densities, and plant performance including fitness was assessed. To test the direct defense capacity of salicylic acid (SA) on aphid performance, we fed aphids an artificial diet with varying levels of SA and measured their survivorship and fecundity. There was no detectable effect of aphid herbivory on net photosynthesis, yet herbivory reduced plant growth, final biomass (43 % at high aphid density), and seed set (18 % at high aphid density) at both low and high aphid infestation levels. High-density aphid attack during the rosette and flowering stage caused an increase in SA levels, but caused only a transient decrease in jasmonic acid concentration at low aphid density. SA concentrations similar to those found in infested flowering plants decreased aphid fecundity, suggesting that SA was an effective chemical defense response against aphids. These results suggest that as aphid densities increased the proximal cause of reduced growth and yield was not reduced photosynthesis, but instead resources may have been mobilized for defense via the SA pathway, decreasing the availability of resources for building plant biomass.     

How predatory mites find plants with whitefly prey

We investigated the searching behaviour of two species of predatory mites, Typhlodromips swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Euseius scutalis (Athias-Henriot), both known to feed on immature stages of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius. When released in a greenhouse inside a circle of cucumber plants that were alternatingly clean or infested with immature whiteflies, the mites took several days to find plants. Both species were recaptured significantly more on plants with whiteflies. This suggests that the mites are able to discriminate between plants with and without whiteflies. The predators may either have been attracted to plants with whiteflies from a distance or arrested on plants with whiteflies. Typhlodromips swirskii that had previously fed on whitefly immatures on cucumber leaves were significantly attracted by volatiles from cucumber plants with whiteflies in a Y-tube olfactometer. This suggests that the mites use volatile cues to discriminate between infested and clean plants. However, this response waned rapidly; if predators, experienced as above, were starved for 3–4 h in absence of cucumber leaves, they no longer preferred volatiles of infested plants to clean plants. Furthermore, T. swirskii that had no experience with immature whiteflies on cucumber plants also did not prefer odours of infested plants to those of clean plants. Because the release experiment with this species in the greenhouse was done with inexperienced predators, this suggests that the aggregation of mites on plants with whiteflies was mainly caused by differential arrestment of mites on plants with prey and clean plants. For T. swirskii, this was in agreement with the finding that the fraction of predators on plants with prey increased with time to levels higher than 70%. A less clear trend was found for E. scutalis, for which the fraction of predators on plants with prey stabilized soon after release to levels from 54–70%. Hence, the predatory mites may find plants with prey by random searching, but they are subsequently arrested on these plants. An earlier study showed that 87% of all whiteflies released in a set-up as used here were recaptured within 1 day. Hence, the effectiveness with which predatory mites locate plants with whiteflies is low compared with that of their prey. We expect this to generate spatial patterns in the dynamics of predator and prey and this may have consequences for biological control of whiteflies with predatory mites.     

Effect of geminivirus infection and Bemisia infestation on accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins in tomato

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B, has been shown to cause pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins to accumulate in plants as a result of direct feeding, but their specific role in plant defensive systems is unclear. Our objective was to compare accumulation of tomato PR proteins (beta-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, peroxidase, P2 and P4) in response to whitefly, with or without tomato mottle virus (ToMoV) infection. Tomato PR protein response was measured over time in plants divided into three treatments: uninfected controls (with or without whiteflies) and plants infested with viruliferous (ToMoV) whiteflies. Five- to six-leaf plants were infested with approximately 5 adult whitefly per leaf. Plants were sampled prior to whitefly infestation and at 14, 28, 42, and 56 days. By 56 days, plants infested with viruliferous whiteflies had significantly more eggs (2.5-fold) and nymphs (4.5-fold) than plants with nonviruliferous whiteflies. A significant increase in the enzymatic activity of all measured PR proteins, as compared to control plants, was only seen in viruliferous whitefly-infested plants. No significant difference was observed in enzyme activities between the uninfected control plants either with or without whiteflies. The greatest differences for all PR proteins assayed were observed 42 days after treatment initiation. Protein blot analyses showed that the differences in PR protein activities among the treatments were due to changes in specific enzyme levels within the plant and were associated with concomitant increases in levels of P2 and P4 PR proteins. Under our experimental conditions, it is clear that PR protein response is much more intense when it is attacked by whiteflies carrying ToMoV than by whitefly alone.     

Local and systemic responses induced by aphids in Solanum tuberosum plants

The aphids Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae) are serious pests of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) (Solanaceae), notably in transmitting several plant viruses. Heterospecific interactions may occur between these two species as they are often seen at the same time on the same potato plant in the field. As aphid infestation is known to induce both local and systemic changes, we conducted experiments to determine the effect of previous infestation on probing behaviour and feeding‐related parameters. We used the DC electrical penetration graph technique to characterize the influence of previous infestation by conspecific M. persicae or by heterospecific Ma. euphorbiae on M. persicae feeding behaviour at both local and systemic levels, i.e., on previously infested leaves and on non‐previously infested leaves of infested plants, respectively. Conspecific and heterospecific infestation led to similar modification of M. persicae feeding activities. However, the effects of previous infestation occurring at the local level were opposite to those observed at the systemic level. Myzus persicae food acceptance was slightly enhanced on previously infested leaves, whereas it was inhibited on non‐infested leaves of infested plants, which indicated an induced resistance mechanism. Our results advance the understanding of the mechanisms involved in aphid–host plant acceptance and colonization processes on potato plants in conspecific and heterospecific situations.