寄主植物对B型烟粉虱形态学和生物学特性的影响

为了解B型烟粉虱(Bemisiatabaci)在不同寄主植物上的生物学特性,以制定科学的综合治理措施,作者在271℃的条件下,研究测定了B型烟粉虱在棉花(Gossypiumhirsutum)、一品红(Euphorbiapulcherrima)、甘蓝(Brassicaoleraceavar.capitata)、黄瓜(Cucumissativus)、西葫芦(Cucurbitapepo)、茄子(Solanummelongena)和番茄(Lycopersiconesculentum)上各虫态大小、成活率、发育历期、成虫寿命、平均产卵量等生物学参数。结果表明:取食不同寄主植物的烟粉虱伪蛹在黄瓜和棉花上体型最大,在一品红上最小;烟粉虱从卵到成虫羽化,发育历期以在一品红上最长(22.0d),黄瓜上最短(17.3d);平均单雌产卵量以在番茄上最多(266.5粒/雌),一品红上最少(112.9粒/雌);成虫的寿命在番茄、黄瓜和茄子上显著长于在其他4种寄主植物上。烟粉虱从卵发育到成虫的存活率以在黄瓜上最高(77.8%),西葫芦上最低(55.6%),两者差异显著。综合比较7种寄主植物,黄瓜是烟粉虱种群生长发育和繁殖的最适寄主。     

烟粉虱对不同寄主植物的选择性和适应性测试

为了明确在田间烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci(Gennadius)对不同寄主植物选择性和适应性,本实验在室内用Y型嗅觉仪测定了烟粉虱对13种寄主植物的选择性,随后对田间随机排列种植的这13种寄主植物依照测试结果由强到弱依次拔除(拔除次序为茄子、番茄、黄瓜、辣椒、棉花、茼麻、西葫芦、油菜、花菜、小青菜、莲花白、胡萝卜和苦瓜),每次拔除间隔时间为5 d,结果显示:田间第一次调查的结果与室内选择性测试结果一致;随着最适宜寄主的拔除,烟粉虱成虫数量在与其引诱力相近的一种或几种寄主上的略有增加,而其它植物上却没有大的变化,这表明随着最适宜寄主的拔除,烟粉虱成虫会重新分布,但趋向分布于引诱力相对较强的寄主植物;随着寄主植物的拔除,烟粉虱卵、若虫和蛹在引诱力较强的植株上均有所增加;但西葫芦拔除之后其余植株上烟粉虱卵、若虫和蛹的数量没有明显变化;小青菜拔除后,其余植株上烟粉虱卵、若虫和蛹的数量又有所增加。这表明随着最佳寄主的拔除,烟粉虱会趋向选择于引诱力相对较强的寄主植物产卵,当烟粉虱从嗜好性强的植物转移到嗜好性弱的植物时,产卵适应会滞后于取食适应。但整个实验过程中苦瓜上的烟粉虱上成虫、卵、若虫和蛹的数量均变化不大,苦瓜上的成虫应属偶然分布其上,烟粉虱成虫并不取食苦瓜,苦瓜对烟粉虱有趋避作用。本实验模拟田间种植模式,因此实验结果对田间种植具有指导意义。     

烟粉虱MEAM1和AsiaⅡ7隐种对不同寄主的选择性和生态适应性

广东省感染木尔坦棉花曲叶病毒(CLCuMuV)的朱槿上烟粉虱隐种为MEAM1和AsiaⅡ7混合种群,并且AsiaⅡ7是该病毒有效传毒介体,明确这两个隐种的寄主选择性差异,能够为介体烟粉虱的防治提供依据。本研究选择锦葵科的棉花、黄秋葵和茄科的茄子、番茄4种寄主植物为供试寄主,通过笼内自由扩散、实验室嗅觉测定、发育观察,比较了MEAM1和AsiaⅡ7隐种对不同寄主的选择性和生态适应性。结果表明:烟粉虱MEAM1和AsiaⅡ7对4种寄主存在明显的寄主选择性,MEAM1成虫和产卵选择趋性为棉花>茄子>番茄>黄秋葵;AsiaⅡ7成虫和产卵选择趋性为棉花>黄秋葵>茄子>番茄。MEAM1和AsiaⅡ7在4种寄主上的发育历期、存活率有显著差异,MEAM1的存活率(卵到成虫)在棉花、茄子、黄秋葵上均较高(80%以上),番茄上最低(59%);AsiaⅡ7的存活率(卵到成虫)为棉花(90%)>黄秋葵(71%)>茄子(64%),在番茄上发育至1龄全部死亡。上述结果表明,4种作物均适宜MEAM1生长发育,锦葵科的2种作物适宜AsiaⅡ7隐种生长发育,茄科的2种作物不适宜。应避免棉花与黄秋葵近距离种植,防止传毒介体烟粉虱将黄秋葵作为桥梁寄主将病毒传播至棉花。     

烟粉虱在不同寄主作物上的种群动态及化学防治

20 0 1年在河北省廊坊市研究了烟粉虱Bemisiatabaci(Gennadius)在主要寄主作物棉花、大豆、花生和玉米上的种群动态和化学防治方法。研究结果表明 ,烟粉虱的种群数量在寄主的生育期内持续增长 ,在 8月 2 2日左右达到高峰 ,之后逐渐减少。烟粉虱虽然寄主范围广泛 ,但在每种寄主上的发生量并不一致 ,调查结果表明烟粉虱在 4种不同寄主上的种群数量比较为 :棉花 >大豆 >花生 ,玉米上没有发现烟粉虱的卵及若虫 ,只有极少量的成虫在植株上逗留。在药效试验中 1 0 %吡虫啉WP、2 5 %扑虱灵WP和 1 0 %高效氯氰菊酯LC在厂家推荐浓度下对烟粉虱成虫的防治效果分别为 2 0 0 7%～ 3 3 1 9% ,2 0 62 %～ 44 88%和 4 0 5 %～ 6 78% ;对若虫的防治效果分别为 5 1 91 %～ 64 46% ,5 4 3 0 %～ 63 99%和 1 6 73 %～ 2 6 97%。     

番茄褪绿病毒对MED烟粉虱成虫在不同寄主植物上的寄主选择性和取食行为的影响

【目的】由粉虱传播的番茄褪绿病毒(tomato chlorosis virus, ToCV)具有较强的暴发性和流行性,目前该病毒现已蔓延至世界各地,可为害多种作物,对农林经济生产造成严重危害。病毒侵染会影响介体昆虫的寄主选择性和取食行为,从而影响病毒传播。本研究旨在明确ToCV对MED烟粉虱Bemisiatabaci在不同寄主上的寄主选择性及取食行为的影响。【方法】利用Y型嗅觉仪测定携带和未携带ToCV的MED烟粉虱雌成虫的寄主选择性,利用刺吸电位(electrical penetration graph, EPG)技术比较携带和未携带ToCV的烟粉虱雌成虫在健康的番茄、辣椒、棉花和豇豆4种寄主植株上的取食行为差异。【结果】未携带ToCV的MED型烟粉虱雌成虫对于4种寄主植物的选择偏好性排序为番茄、辣椒＞棉花＞豇豆;携带ToCV烟粉虱雌成虫对4种寄主植物的选择性偏好性降低,排序为番茄、辣椒、棉花＞豇豆。与未携带ToCV烟粉虱雌成虫相比,携带ToCV烟粉虱雌成虫取食4种植物所产生的刺探次数均显著增加,第1次到达韧皮部的时间有明显延后,取食总时间与韧皮部的取食时间明显减少。【结论】ToCV使烟粉虱对寄主的选择偏好性和取食行为发生显著改变,从而增加了病毒在寄主植物间传播的可能。     

不同寄主植物对B型烟粉虱发育适合度的影响

为探明寄主植物对B型烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci(Gennadius)种群发育适合度的影响,采用室内实验比较了B型烟粉虱在番茄、棉花、菜豆和辣椒上的生存曲线、发育进度和成虫性比等生物学指标。结果表明,B型烟粉虱种群在不同寄主植物上的生存曲线差异显著,由卵发育至成虫的存活率由高到低依次为:番茄=棉花>菜豆>辣椒。B型烟粉虱在辣椒、棉花、菜豆和番茄上50%成虫羽化期依次为25.5、23.0、22.8和22.5d,在辣椒上的发育进度显著慢于其他植物。在不同寄主植物上B型烟粉虱的雌成虫比例差异显著,由高到低依次为:辣椒(63.0%)>棉花(58.3%)>菜豆(52.0%)>番茄(49.7%)。在番茄上B型烟粉虱第二代的生存率显著高于第一代,发育速率较第一代加快,雌成虫比例(63.3%)也显著高于第一代(49.7%)。在棉花上,第一代和第二代间的生存曲线、发育进度和雌成虫比例则差异不显著。可见,不同寄主植物对B型烟粉虱的发育适合度不同,在番茄上的发育适合度则以第二代较第一代显著提高。此外,B型烟粉虱在不适寄主植物辣椒上的存活率较低,但后代雌成虫比例增加,推测B型烟粉虱可通过调整后代性比增加其在不适寄主植物上的种群。     

寄主植物对B型烟粉虱选择行为和生物学参数的影响

通过培养皿内自由扩散观察和生物学观察,对黄瓜、茄子、辣椒、棉花和甘薯上B型烟粉虱的寄主选择性和生物学参数进行了研究.结果表明：B型烟粉虱成虫向寄主植物叶片自由扩散的初始阶段（2 h）,各寄主植物叶片上虫量的差异不大,在随后的4～48 h内黄瓜叶片上的虫量不断增加,茄子、棉花和甘薯叶片上的虫量相对稳定,而辣椒叶片上的虫量却不断下降,说明B型烟粉虱对黄瓜的选择性最强、对辣椒的选择性最弱,且饥饿和吡虫啉预处理均不影响B型烟粉虱的寄主选择性;取食不同寄主植物烟粉虱成虫的蜜露分泌量差异显著,从高到低依次为黄瓜、甘薯、棉花、茄子、辣椒;黄瓜、茄子、甘薯、棉花上烟粉虱成虫的寿命显著长于辣椒,其平均单雌产卵量(分别为224.33粒、182.33粒、191.73粒和172.60粒)也均显著高于辣椒(47.83粒);各寄主植物上烟粉虱卵的孵化率和发育历期差异均不显著;烟粉虱若虫在黄瓜、茄子、甘薯和棉花上的发育历期分别为10.60 d、11.96 d、11.11 d和13.20 d,死亡率分别为5.21%、27.78%、17.24%和37.11%,在辣椒上不能完成正常发育.     

烟粉虱在烟株上的垂直分布及寄主选择性

烟粉虱是云南省农业生产上的重要害虫之一。通过田间系统调查和室内观察相结合,研究了烟粉虱在烟株上的垂直分布特性和在8种寄主作物上的取食、产卵趋性。（1）烟粉虱在烟株上的垂直分布特征为上部＞中部＞下部,8月中旬为种群高峰期,上、中、下部叶片的成虫密度分别为15．1、10．9、6．7头？片-1;（2）烟粉虱成虫的取食趋性表现为大豆＞南瓜＞甘薯＞番茄＞一品红＞茄子＞甘蓝＞烟草,各处理间差异不显著（P＞0．05）;（3）产卵趋性表现为一品红＞大豆＞南瓜＞甘薯＞番茄＞茄子＞甘蓝＞烟草,一品红与南瓜、甘蓝、茄子、甘薯、番茄、烟草处理间,以及大豆与烟草处理间存在显著差异（P＜0．05）,其他处理间差异不显著（P＞0．05）。在所测定的8种寄主植物中,烟粉虱成虫对烟草的选择性最差,烟区规划烟田种植范围时,应避免与大豆、南瓜、甘薯、番茄等作物间作或距离太近。     

烟粉虱在七种寄主植物上的生命表参数分析

在恒温25℃下,组建了烟粉虱在黄瓜、茄子、番茄、烟草、辣椒、甘蓝和菜豆等7种寄主植物上的实验种群生命表。结果表明,烟粉虱在不同寄主植物上的存活曲线差异明显,各寄主植物上以1,2龄若虫和成虫死亡率最高,3龄和伪蛹期死亡较少甚至不死亡;各寄主植物上烟粉虱的内禀增长率在0．2445～0．3424之间,以番茄上的rm最大,菜豆上的rm最小。讨论了烟粉虱的发展趋势和防治对策。     

寄主挥发物、叶色在B型烟粉虱寄主选择中的作用

在室温条件下,研究B型烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci(Gennadius)对不同寄主植物和颜色的行为趋性。笼罩实验的结果显示,烟粉虱雌虫对共存的5种寄主植物偏好存在显著差异,总体上表现为对番茄的趋性最强(35·0%),甘蓝次之(27·7%),烟草和棉花再次之,辣椒最低(7·1%);且随着时间的延长,烟粉虱数量在番茄上逐渐增加,在甘蓝上呈下降趋势,在烟草、棉花和辣椒上变动幅度不大,但数量总体上仍是番茄(48·8%)>甘蓝(18·4%)>烟草、棉花>辣椒(3·4%)。但烟粉虱在不同寄主植物上的产卵量则表现为:甘蓝>番茄>棉花、烟草>辣椒;其中甘蓝和番茄上卵量分别占总卵量的56·8%和28·2%;而烟草、棉花和辣椒上的卵量均不到总卵量的6·0%。"Y"型嗅觉仪进一步测定表明:寄主植物番茄和甘蓝气味对烟粉虱具有显著引诱作用,且表现为番茄>甘蓝,辣椒不具引诱作用;烟粉虱对3种植物(番茄、甘蓝、辣椒)的叶片颜色均有显著趋性,选择率在75%左右,但在三者之间的趋性差异不明显;烟粉虱雌虫对黄色和绿色均具有显著趋性,且对黄色的趋性显著大于对绿色的趋性,但对红色无趋性。综合分析表明,在对寄主定向和定位过程中,B型烟粉虱的视觉和嗅觉均起作用,但在对同种颜色(绿色)的寄主进行选择和定位的过程中,嗅觉起主要作用,而对不同种颜色(红、黄、绿)的选择和定位时,其视觉起决定作用。     

Difference in feeding behaviors of two invasive whiteflies on host plants with different suitability: implication for competitive displacement

In China, Bemisia tabaci Q (commonly known as biotype Q) has rapidly displaced B (commonly known as biotype B) in the past 6 years. The mechanisms underlying such phenomenon have been studied extensively in recent years; however, we have not come to a definitive conclusion yet. In the present study, the differences in host suitability between B and Q whitefly adults to five host plants (cabbage, cotton, cucumber, poinsettia, and tomato) were evaluated based on their respective feeding behaviors using a direct-current electrical penetration graph (DC-EPG) system. Pair-wise comparisons of B. tabaci B and Q feeding on each of the five host plants clearly indicate that Q feeds better than B on tomato, cotton and poinsettia, while B feeds better than Q on cabbage and cucumber. The EPG parameters related to both phloem and non-phloem phases confirm that cabbage and cucumber are best suited to B, while tomato, cotton, and poinsettia are best suited to Q. Our present results support the contention that host suitability and adult feeding behavior contribute to the competitive displacement of biotype B by biotype Q. The discrepancy between field (previous studies) and laboratory results (this study), however, suggests that 1) whitefly displacement is apparently contributed by multiple factors; and 2) factor(s) other than the host plant suitability may play a vital role in dictating the whitefly biotypes in the field.     

Differential indirect effects of two plant viruses on an invasive and an indigenous whitefly vector: implications for competitive displacement

The role of vector–begomovirus–plant interactions in the widespread invasion by some members of the whitefly species complex Bemisia tabaci is poorly understood. The invasive B biotype of B. tabaci entered China in the late 1990s and had become the predominant or only biotype of the whitefly in many regions of the country by 2005–2006. Meanwhile epidemics of begomoviruses have been observed in many crops including tomato for which Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV) and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) have been identified as two major disease-causing agents. Here, we conducted laboratory experiments to compare the performance of the invasive B and indigenous ZHJ1 whitefly biotypes on uninfected, TYLCCNV-infected and TYLCV-infected plants of tomato cv. Hezuo903, a cultivar that has been widely cultivated in many regions of China. The infection of tomato plants by either of the viruses had no or only marginal effects on the development, survival and fecundity of the B biotype. In contrast, survival and fecundity of the ZHJ1 biotype were significantly reduced on virus-infected plants compared to those on uninfected plants. Populations of the B biotype on uninfected and TYLCCNV-infected plants increased at similar rates, whereas population increase of the ZHJ1 biotype on TYLCCNV-infected plants was affected adversely. These asymmetric responses to virus infection of tomato plants between the B and ZHJ1 biotypes are likely to offer advantages to the B biotype in its invasion and displacement of the indigenous biotype.     

Biotype-dependent secondary symbiont communities in sympatric populations of Bemisia tabaci

The sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, harbors Portiera aleyrodidarum, an obligatory symbiotic bacterium, as well as several secondary symbionts including Rickettsia, Hamiltonella, Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Cardinium and Fritschea, the function of which is unknown. Bemisia tabaci is a species complex composed of numerous biotypes, which may differ from each other both genetically and biologically. Only the B and Q biotypes have been reported from Israel. Secondary symbiont infection frequencies of Israeli laboratory and field populations of B. tabaci from various host plants were determined by PCR, in order to test for correlation between bacterial composition to biotype and host plant. Hamiltonella was detected only in populations of the B biotype, while Wolbachia and Arsenophonus were found only in the Q biotype (33% and 87% infection, respectively). Rickettsia was abundant in both biotypes. Cardinium and Fritschea were not found in any of the populations. No differences in secondary symbionts were found among host plants within the B biotype; but within the Q biotype, all whiteflies collected from sage harboured both Rickettsia and Arsenophonus, an infection frequency which was significantly higher than those found in association with all other host plants. The association found between whitefly biotypes and secondary symbionts suggests a possible contribution of these bacteria to host characteristics such as insecticide resistance, host range, virus transmission and speciation.     

Vector-virus mutualism accelerates population increase of an invasive whitefly

The relationships between plant viruses, their herbivore vectors and host plants can be beneficial, neutral, or antagonistic, depending on the species involved. This variation in relationships may affect the process of biological invasion and the displacement of indigenous species by invaders when the invasive and indigenous organisms occur with niche overlap but differ in the interactions. The notorious invasive B biotype of the whitefly complex Bemisia tabaci entered China in the late 1990s and is now the predominant or only biotype in many regions of the country. Tobacco curly shoot virus (TbCSV) and Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV) are two whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses that have become widespread recently in south China. We compared the performance of the invasive B and indigenous ZHJ1 whitefly biotypes on healthy, TbCSV-infected and TYLCCNV-infected tobacco plants. Compared to its performance on healthy plants, the invasive B biotype increased its fecundity and longevity by 12 and 6 fold when feeding on TbCSV-infected plants, and by 18 and 7 fold when feeding on TYLCCNV-infected plants. Population density of the B biotype on TbCSV- and TYLCCNV-infected plants reached 2 and 13 times that on healthy plants respectively in 56 days. In contrast, the indigenous ZHJ1 performed similarly on healthy and virus-infected plants. Virus-infection status of the whiteflies per se of both biotypes showed limited effects on performance of vectors on cotton, a nonhost plant of the viruses. The indirect mutualism between the B biotype whitefly and these viruses via their host plants, and the apparent lack of such mutualism for the indigenous whitefly, may contribute to the ability of the B whitefly biotype to invade, the displacement of indigenous whiteflies, and the disease pandemics of the viruses associated with this vector.     

喷施吲哚-3-乙酸 (IAA) 对番茄及其上B型烟粉虱的影响

【目的】不同植物生长调节物质对植食性昆虫产卵、发育、取食等常有促进或抑制作用,进而影响植物与昆虫的互作关系。本研究旨在阐明常用的植物生长调节剂吲哚-3-乙酸对B型烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)的影响,进而探索防治烟粉虱环境友好的方法,同时期望获得更加优质的烟粉虱用作替代寄主饲养寄生蜂。【方法】对番茄 Solanum lycopersicum L.植株外源喷施吲哚-3-乙酸(IAA),检测其生理生化的响应;记录B型烟粉虱存活率、产卵量并测量解毒酶等指标。【结果】喷施IAA后番茄叶片含水量略有上升,叶面积增大,叶绿素含量增加,过氧化物酶(POD)活性降低,多酚氧化酶(PPO)活性升高,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性变化不显著(P＞0.05)。喷施IAA后番茄上B型烟粉虱成虫存活率高于对照组,其中50 mg/L IAA番茄上B型烟粉虱成虫存活率和总产卵量最高,250 mg/L IAA存活率最低;喷施IAA 120 h后烟粉虱总产卵量升高;碱性磷酸酶(AKP)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性较对照升高。【结论】喷施不同浓度的IAA溶液后,番茄植株的生理生化水平发生不同程度的改变,烟粉虱成虫的存活状况、产卵量以及体内解毒活性也会产生不同程度的改变。适宜剂量的IAA处理能够使烟粉虱的生存表现更加优异,从而为饲养寄生蜂提供优质的替代寄主。     

华东、华南和西南地区烟粉虱的种群及寄主分化

烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci是一个复合种,它具有的生物型分化、较强的传播病毒的能力和抗药性、较快的繁殖速率等特征使其成为我国农业生产中重要害虫之一。本研究利用细胞色素线粒体氧化酶Ⅰ基因,对采集自江苏、广东和云南三省的烟粉虱样本进行了生物型鉴定,并对烟粉虱生物型与寄主植物之间的关联性开展了调查。结果表明,在广东和云南省,都存在未鉴定的土著种群与入侵的B型、Q型共存的现象;同时,在本研究中广东省尚未采集到Q型烟粉虱,而在江苏采集到的粉虱样本全部为入侵型。研究结果还表明,相对于入侵种而言,土著种群显示出更强的寄主植物趋同性;丰富的寄主植物以及本身具有的多食性特性有助于B型、Q型等生物型在世界各地的广泛入侵。     

寄主种类、距离和种群密度对烟粉虱扩散的影响

在笼罩条件下,分别以黄瓜、棉花、蕹菜为虫源寄主和诱集寄主,研究寄主植物、空间距离、虫源密度等因子对B型烟粉虱扩散的影响。结果发现,从虫源寄主上扩散的成虫量,与烟粉虱对诱集寄主和虫源寄主的嗜性差异程度有关,诱集寄主相对于虫源寄主的嗜性越强,扩散出来的成虫数量就越多,反之扩散的成虫数量就越少。成虫扩散量与诱集寄主的距离呈负相关,并且诱集寄主的嗜性越强,随着距离的增大,诱集量下降的速率越快。成虫扩散量与虫源种群密度呈正关,但非嗜好寄主上的虫口承载量相对较低,在虫口密度相对较高时,非嗜好寄主上烟粉虱向外扩散的相对量更大。烟粉虱的扩散量与寄主营养状况呈负相关,寄主营养胁迫时,非嗜好寄主上可以获得相对更高的诱集量。     

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.     

Influence of plant combinations on population characteristics of Bemisia tabaci biotypes B and Q

In recent years, the dominant biotype of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) has shifted from biotype B to Q in many locations of China. Our field monitoring showed that B. tabaci biotype Q could be found on pepper Capsicum frutescens L. while biotype B could not be found on the plant. To study the role of the host plant in the displacement of biotype B by Q, the adult mortality, female fecundity, and adult emergence of both biotypes B and Q on different host combinations were studied using a model system involving pepper and eggplant. The results showed that pepper is not a preferred host for either biotype B or Q adults in comparison with eggplant. The negative impact of pepper to biotype B is, however, much greater than that to biotype Q. Because both the survival rates of the adult whitefly and the average number of emerged adults per female of biotype Q on pepper are higher than that of biotype B, biotype Q showed higher fitness in comparison with biotype B. Our results suggest that the existence and differential impact of a nonpreferred host might affect the population fitness and therefore could play a role in the displacement of biotype B in some regions.     

The root-knot nematode resistance gene Mi-1.2 of tomato is responsible for resistance against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci

The tomato gene Mi-1.2 confers resistance against root-knot nematodes and some isolates of potato aphid. Resistance to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci previously has been observed in Mi-bearing commercial tomato cultivars, suggesting that Mi, or a closely linked gene, is responsible for the resistance. The response of two biotypes of B. tabaci to tomato carrying the cloned Mi was compared with that of the isogenic untransformed tomato line Moneymaker. Our results indicate that Mi-1.2 is responsible for the resistance in tomato plants to both B- and Q- biotypes. Mi-1.2 is unique among characterized resistance genes in its activity against three very different organisms (root-knot nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies). These pests are among the most important on tomato crops worldwide, making Mi a valuable resource in integrated pest management programs.