Fiji disease resistance in sugarcane: Relationship to cultivar preference in field populations of the planthopper vector Perkinsiella saccharicida

Populations of the planthopper vector Perkinsiella saccharicida on sugarcane cultivars resistant (cvs QUO and Q87), moderately resistant (cvs Q90 and Q124) and susceptible (cvs NCo310 and Q102) to Fiji disease with known field resistance scores were monitored on the plant (2000–2001) and ratoon (2001–2002) crops. In both crops, the vector population remained very low, reaching its peak in the autumn. The vector population was significantly higher on cultivars susceptible to Fiji disease than on cultivars moderately resistant and resistant to Fiji disease. The number of P. saccharicida adults, nymphs and oviposition sites per plant increased with the increase in the Fiji disease susceptibility. The results suggest that under low vector density, cultivar preference by the planthopper vector mediates Fiji disease resistance in sugarcane. To obtain resistance ratings in the glasshouse that reflect field resistance, glasshouse‐screening trials should be conducted under both low and high vector densities, and the cultivar preference of the planthopper vector recorded along with Fiji disease incidence.     

Susceptibility of source plants to Sugarcane Fiji disease virus influences the acquisition and transmission of the virus by the planthopper vector Perkinsiella saccharicida

Abstract:  Fiji leaf gall (FLG) caused by Sugarcane Fiji disease virus (SCFDV) is transmitted by the planthopper Perkinsiella saccharicida . FLG is managed through the identification and exploitation of plant resistance. The glasshouse-based resistance screening produced inconsistent transmission results and the factors responsible for that are not known. A series of glasshouse trials conducted over a 2-year period was compared to identify the factors responsible for the erratic transmission results. SCFDV transmission was greater when the virus was acquired by the vector from a cultivar that was susceptible to the virus than when the virus was acquired from a resistant cultivar. Virus acquisition by the vector was also greater when the vector was exposed to the susceptible cultivars than when exposed to the resistant cultivar. Results suggest that the variation in transmission levels is due to variation in susceptibility of sugarcane cultivars to SCFDV used for virus acquisition by the vector.     

The evaluation of rhizomania resistant sugar beet for the UK

Sugar beet rhizomania disease, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus and transmitted by the soil‐borne parasite Polymyxa betae, was first recorded in the UK in 1987. Recently, breeding lines and cultivars with partial resistance to the virus derived from the ‘Holly’ source of resistance have been developed and their suitability for use under UK conditions is explored in this paper. Virus multiplication in the roots of resistant lines exposed to severe disease pressure in glasshouse tests, when quantified by ELISA, was less than one third of that in susceptible controls. More recently developed resistant lines had a lower virus content, on average, largely due to a reduced frequency of susceptible individuals. There was no evidence for resistance to the vector, P. betae, in virus resistant lines. However, the proportion of viruliferous P. betae resting spores in the roots, estimated using the most probable number (MPN) technique, was reduced by at least one third in resistant lines compared with the most susceptible control. A novel line, containing an additional gene to that in ‘Holly’, was the most effective, reducing the infection level to 3% of that in the susceptible control. In two field experiments on severely infested sites, the rate of infection of a resistant line, when assessed by ELISA, was reduced by half compared with a susceptible cultivar and sugar yields of resistant lines were consistently 2–3 times higher than those of susceptible cultivars. In 41 trials on rhizomania‐free sites, several recently introduced resistant lines exhibited sugar yields and agronomic performance comparable to that of three selected high yielding, susceptible cultivars. Results are discussed in relation to the specific UK requirements for rhizomania resistant cultivars. One resistant line, Beta 805 (cv. Concept), fulfilled the requirements for widespread use to control the disease.     

Characteristics of resistance in rice to rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV) and its vector, Tagosodes orizicolus (Muir)

This paper characterises resistance to rice hoja blanca virus (RHBV) which is transmitted by the planthopper Tagosodes orizicolus (Muir). Resistance is expressed as decreased proportion of plants infected compared to susceptible lines, although severity of symptom expression is similar in both types. This resistance is not due to differences in vector feeding behaviour. Vectors reared eight generations on resistant plants showed no increased ability to transmit to resistant lines or decreased ability to transmit to susceptible ones. Longevity of vectors was similar when reared either on virus-resistant or susceptible plants. Incubation period of the virus in resistant plants are significantly longer than in susceptible plants. Resistance increased with plant age in resistant and susceptible cultivars. Increased virus dosage, as determined by increased number of viru-liferous vectors per inoculated plant, caused an increase in transmission to both resistant and susceptible cultivars. However, the ranking of resistant and susceptible remained the same across the experimental range of dosage and plant age. It is concluded that the resistance studied is to virus infection and there is little risk of “breakdown” occurring as a result of genetic or behavioural changes in the vector population. This will permit the use of economic thresholds to planthopper feeding damage with little risk of RHBV epidemic outbreak.     

九个甘蔗新品种在桂林地区的适应性观察和评价

为探讨甘蔗新品种在桂林地区的适应性表现,该研究以ROC22为对照,采用大区互比法,对国家甘蔗产业技术体系的9个甘蔗品种进行1年新植2年宿根的区域试验,观察记录出苗率、分蘖率、株高、产量和糖分等14个性状表现,并利用DTOPSIS法进行综合评价。结果表明:桂糖29号、桂糖31号、云蔗03-194、粤糖60号、福农38号和粤糖55号的综合性状表现优于对照ROC22,其中桂糖29号宿根性好、蔗茎产量和产糖量较高,但病虫害有不同程度的发生,田间栽培需加强病虫害防控;桂糖31号有效茎多、蔗糖分高,建议加强肥水管理,提高产量;云蔗03-194出苗率较高,出苗整齐,有效茎数较多,宿根性好,但枯心苗和黑穗病发病程度较其他品种严重,建议加强苗期病虫管理,保障成茎率;粤糖60号蔗糖产量较高、抗倒伏能力强,但新植出苗率较低,建议加大下种量;福农38号蔗糖分较高、抗病性较好,是优异的抗病材料;粤糖55号宿根性较好。上述筛选出的6个甘蔗品种宿根性好、抗逆性强、高产高糖,适宜在桂林地区进行扩大种植,用于指导当地的甘蔗示范推广。     

Inheritance and Mechanism of Resistance to Rice Stripe Disease in cv. Zhendao 88, a Chinese Rice Cultivar

Mechanisms of resistance to rice stripe disease in a Chinese rice cultivar (Oryza sativa L., cv. Zhendao 88) were determined, and molecular markers for the resistance gene were identified. Single tillers at the seedling stage were inoculated with Rice stripe virus (RSV) and its vector, the small brown planthopper (SBPH) Laodelphax striatellus Fallen, to test for non‐preference and antibiosis. The inheritance of resistance in the F₂ and F_{2 : 3} lines from the cross cvs Zhendao 88× Wuyujing No. 3 was also examined by single‐tiller inoculation. Cv. Zhendao 88 was highly resistant to RSV and weakly resistant to SBPH. The resistance gene was mapped by SSR and RAPD analyses to rice chromosome 11 within 4.7 cm of a SSR marker RM229 and a RAPD marker OPO11. Data and inheritance analysis indicated that rice stripe disease resistance in cv. Zhendao 88 was derived principally from resistance to RSV and controlled by a single dominant gene. Breeding for rice stripe resistance could be accelerated by using cv. Zhendao 88 as a resistant parent if the linked marker for virus resistance were used in a marker‐assisted progeny selection programme.     

Progress towards the understanding and control of sugar beet rhizomania disease

Rhizomania is a soil-borne disease that occurs throughout the major sugar beet growing regions of the world, causing severe yield losses in the absence of effective control measures. It is caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), which is transmitted by the obligate root-infecting parasite Polymyxa betae . BNYVV has a multipartite RNA genome with all natural isolates containing four RNA species, although some isolates have a fifth RNA. The larger RNA1 and RNA2 contain the housekeeping genes of the virus and are always required for infection, whereas the smaller RNAs are involved in pathogenicity and vector transmission. RNA5-containing isolates are restricted to Asia and some parts of Europe, and these isolates tend to be more aggressive. With no acceptable pesticides available to restrict the vector, the control of rhizomania is now achieved almost exclusively through the use of resistant cultivars. A single dominant resistance gene, Rz1 , has been used to manage the disease worldwide in recent years, although this gene confers only partial resistance. More recently, new variants of BNYVV have evolved (both with and without RNA5) that are able to cause significant yield penalties on resistant cultivars. These isolates are not yet widespread, but their appearance has resulted in accelerated searches for new sources of resistance to both the virus and the vector. Combined virus and vector resistance, achieved either by conventional or transgenic breeding, offers the sugar beet industry a new approach in its continuing struggle against rhizomania.     

Responses of some Asian and European barley cultivars to UK and Chinese isolates of soil-borne barley mosaic viruses

In field plots at Yancheng, Jiangsu, China, a range of European and Asian barley cultivars was grown in soil from three sites in China infested with barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV). Most of the cultivars resistant to the common European strain of BaYMV were susceptible to the Chinese isolates but cv. Energy remained disease-free. Barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV) was also detected in one of these soils but affected only one Chinese cultivar and not those susceptible to BaMMV in Europe. This is the first report of BaMMV in China. Inoculation experiments confirmed the different cultivar response to UK and Chinese isolates of BaYMV and showed that resistance was to the virus and not to the vector. A range of Chinese cultivars selected for resistance to BaYMV were also resistant to a UK isolate of BaMMV.     

Water stress augments silicon-mediated resistance of susceptible sugarcane cultivars to the stalk borer Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Silicon (Si) can improve resistance of plants to insect attack and may also enhance tolerance of water stress. This study tested if Si-mediated host plant resistance to insect attack was augmented by water stress. Four sugarcane cultivars, two resistant (N21, N33) and two susceptible (N26, N11) to Eldana saccharina Walker were grown in a pot trial in Si-deficient river sand, with (Si+) and without (Si-) calcium silicate. To induce water stress, irrigation to half the trial was reduced after 8.5 months. The trial was artificially infested with E. saccharina eggs after water reduction and harvested 66 days later. Silicon treated, stressed and non-stressed plants of the same cultivar did not differ appreciably in Si content. Decreases in numbers of borers recovered and stalk damage were not associated with comparable increases in rind hardness in Si+ cane, particularly in water-stressed susceptible cultivars. Overall, Si+ plants displayed increased resistance to E. saccharina attack compared with Si- plants. Borer recoveries were significantly lower in stressed Si+ cane compared with either stressed Si- or non-stressed Si- and Si+ cane. Generally, fewer borers were recovered from resistant cultivars than susceptible cultivars. Stalk damage was significantly lower in Si+ cane than in Si- cane, for N21, N11 and N26. Stalk damage was significantly less in Si+ combined susceptible cultivars than in Si- combined susceptible cultivars under non-stressed and especially stressed conditions. In general, the reduction in borer numbers and stalk damage in Si+ plants was greater for water-stressed cane than non-stressed cane, particularly for susceptible sugarcane cultivars. The hypothesis that Si affords greater protection against E. saccharina borer attack in water-stressed sugarcane than in non-stressed cane and that this benefit is greatly enhanced in susceptible cultivars is supported. A possible active role for soluble Si in defence against E. saccharina is proposed.     

Glasshouse tests and field selection for heritable resistance to Myzus persicae in sugar beet

A technique is described to assess and select in the field for resistance to Myzus persicae in sugar beet. Lines developed by this method were aphid resistant when compared with commercial cultivars. The resistance was inherited by progeny lines. Variation between beet lines in glasshouse tests suggested segregation of a number of resistance genes with varying effects. Integration of selection for aphid-resistance and agronomic performance during beet breeding is discussed.     

Vector preference and host defense against infection interact to determine disease dynamics

Vector preference based on host infection status has long been recognized for its importance in disease dynamics. Prior theoretical work has assumed that all hosts are uniformly susceptible to the pathogen. Here we investigated disease dynamics when this assumption is relaxed using a series of vector–host epidemiological compartment models with variable levels of host resistance or tolerance to infection – collectively termed defense. In our models, vectors cannot acquire the infection from resistant hosts but can acquire from tolerant hosts. Specifically, we investigated the interacting effects of vector preference and host defense in a series of single‐ and two‐patch models. Results indicate that resistant host types generally reduce disease prevalence and pathogen spillover, independent of vector preference. The epidemiological consequences of host tolerance, however, depended on vector preference. When vectors preferred diseased hosts, tolerance reduced incidence compared to susceptible hosts; when vectors avoided diseased hosts, tolerance enhanced disease prevalence. Finally, a variation of the model that included preference‐based vector patch leaving rates suggests that both resistance and tolerance can promote pathogen spillover if vectors prefer diseased hosts, because of increased vector dispersal into susceptible patches. Collectively, we found complex, context‐dependent effects of vector preference and host defense on disease dynamics. In the context of management programs for vector‐borne diseases, managers should consider both the precise form of host defense present in a population, breed, or cultivar, as well as vector feeding behavior.     

Brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, resistance in rice cultivar IR64: mechanism and role in successful N. lugens management in Central Luzon, Philippines

We investigated the mechanism of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), resistance in the popular rice cultivar IR64, and the current level of resistance of IR64 to N. lugens in a large rice growing area with low brown planthopper populations (Central Luzon, Philippines). In greenhouse experiments with N. lugens populations collected from Central Luzon, IR64 showed slight to moderate levels of antibiosis, antixenosis, and tolerance relative to the cultivars IR22 and Azucena, which contain no major genes for N. lugens resistance. IR64 was also more resistant than IR26 in most experiments, despite the fact that both varieties have the same major gene for N. lugens resistance, Bph1. This confirms that IR64 contains one or more additional, apparently minor, genes for brown planthopper resistance. Our findings also demonstrate that, in an area with low insecticide use, it is not necessary to have high levels of N. lugens resistance, even in a rice cultivar grown by the majority of farmers, to maintain low and stable N. lugens populations.     

Durable strategies to deploy plant resistance in agricultural landscapes

The deployment of resistant crops often leads to the emergence of resistance-breaking pathogens that suppress the yield benefit provided by the resistance. Here, we theoretically explored how farmers' main leverages (resistant cultivar choice, resistance deployment strategy, landscape planning and cultural practices) can be best combined to achieve resistance durability while minimizing yield losses as a result of plant viruses. Assuming a gene-for-gene type of interaction, virus epidemics are modelled in a landscape composed of a mosaic of resistant and susceptible fields, subjected to seasonality, and a reservoir hosting viruses year-round. The model links the genetic and the epidemiological processes, shaping at nested scales the demogenetic dynamics of viruses. The choice of the resistance gene (characterized by the equilibrium frequency of the resistance-breaking virus at mutation-selection balance in a susceptible plant) is the most influential leverage of action. Our results showed that optimal strategies of resistance deployment range from 'mixture' (where susceptible and resistant cultivars coexist) to 'pure' strategies (with only resistant cultivar) depending on the resistance characteristics and the epidemiological context (epidemic incidence and landscape connectivity). We demonstrate and discuss gaps concerning virus epidemiology across the agro-ecological interface that must be filled to achieve sustainable disease management.     

Determining the effectiveness of resistance to subterranean clover mottle sobemovirus in different genotypes of subterranean clover in the field using the grazing animal as virus vector

The effectiveness of resistance to subterranean clover mottle sobemovirus (SCMoV) previously identified in different genotypes of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) inoculated with infective sap in the glasshouse, was tested in two field experiments which used the grazing animal as virus vector. Replicated plots each consisting of paired test rows of 20 different genotypes were used. Clover plants infected with SCMoV were transplanted in between the paired test rows and these acted as sources of the virus for spread by grazing sheep. Although used in different years at different sites with different virus isolates, the field exposure methodology employed produced consistent results. The genotypes each behaved similarly in both experiments as regards the relative extents of SCMoV infection that developed, levels ranging from 0–98%. The previously identified resistance in six ‘highly resistant’ and three ‘partially resistant’ cultivars was effective under field conditions. However, the ‘partial resistance’ in three others was overcome, cvs Green Range and Mt Barker developing levels of infection approaching those in ‘susceptible’ cultivars, while an intermediate infection level developed in cv. Karridale. The three cultivars in which partial resistance was not effective all belonged to ssp. subterraneum. In subterranean clover breeding programmes, field screening using the grazing animal as a vector is advisable to determine whether SCMoV resistance found by sap inoculation is still effective under field conditions.     

The effect of cultivar used as host for Polymyxa gmminis on the multiplication and transmission of barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV)

A viruliferous isolate of the fungal vector Polymyxa graminis was grown on roots of barley cultivars immune or susceptible to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV). Zoospores or resting spores of the vector produced on different cultivars were then inoculated to a virus-susceptible test cultivar. Although the vector established in all treatments, transmission of BaYMV was rare and usually nil from immune cultivars; amounts of virus detected serologically in their roots were very low, thus showing that resistance was to virus multiplication. If immune cultivars decrease the virus content of vector populations in the field, this would have important implications for disease control.     

The susceptibility of barley cultivars to barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) and its fungal vector, Polymyxa graminis

In glasshouse experiments, barley seedlings were inoculated with barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) either mechanically or by using zoospores or cystosori of a viruliferous isolate of the vector, Polymyxa graminis, maintained on barley in sand culture. Experiments using mechanical inoculation showed that seedlings became more resistant with age. Consistent cultivar differences were obtained: cvs Maris Otter and Halcyon were very susceptible and cv. Athene seemed immune. Symptoms developed more rapidly at 23 than at 17 or 11 ^oC. After vector inoculation, symptoms developed more slowly than after mechanical inoculation but cultivar ranking was similar. Cultivars did not differ in susceptibility to the vector, as measured by zoospore production on their roots. Spring barley cultivars supported the growth of the vector which remained viruliferous and some showed symptoms although, in the field, symptoms do not appear on spring-sown crops.     

Changes in Ribonuclease and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activities Induced by Beet Necrotic Yellow Vein Virus in Sugar Beet

Activities of host ribonucleases and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were studied in three cultivars (Monosvalof, Steffi and Rimini) of sugar beet differing in their resistance to beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV). No differences were found in the susceptibility of cultivars to BNYVV between mechanically inoculated and Polymyxa betae (a natural fungal vector of the virus) infected plants, but the culmination of reproduction curves of BNYVV in mechanically inoculated plants was observed one week earlier than in plants inoculated by means of P. betae. The activities of ribonucleases corresponded with virus multiplication. In roots, activities of ribonucleases reached a maximum at day 7; in leaves, maximum activity was found at day 21 in cv. Monosvalof, and at day 14 in cv. Steffi. The relatively resistant cultivar Rimini showed much lower activities. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was only slightly increased at the time of culmination of the BNYVV reproduction curve in cvs. Monosvalof and Steffi. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

不同辣椒品种抗（耐）西花蓟马的初步筛选及苗期防御酶的变化

【背景】西花蓟马自2003年传入我国以来,呈扩张趋势。辣椒上西花蓟马以化学防治为主,国内尚无抗性资源保护、抗（耐）虫性资源筛选等相关研究。【方法】以20个辣椒品种和西花蓟马为材料,采用幼苗接虫法,根据危害症状分级,计算为害指数并作为抗（耐）评价指标,然后测定不同抗（耐）材料苗期受西花蓟马危害后防御酶活性的变化,探讨其与抗性的关系。【结果】在20个供试辣椒品种中,湘研13号和博辣4号对西花蓟马的抗性较强,其他品种抗性较差,兴蔬绿剑抗性最差;不同辣椒品种抗（耐）虫性与过氧化物酶变化呈正相关,但与过氧化氢酶相关性不显著。【结论与意义】本研究建立了辣椒抗（耐）西花蓟马的筛选评价体系,为挖掘抗西花蓟马的种质资源和西花蓟马的有效防控提供了依据。     

Relative Susceptibility of Vitis vinifera Cultivars to Vector-Borne Xylella fastidiosa through Time

Understanding the interactions between pathogen, crop and vector are necessary for the development of disease control practices of vector-borne pathogens. For instance, resistant plant genotypes can help constrain disease symptoms due to infections and limit pathogen spread by vectors. On the other hand, genotypes susceptible to infection may increase pathogen spread owing to their greater pathogen quantity, regardless of their symptom status. In this study, we evaluated under greenhouse conditions the relative levels of resistance (i.e. relatively lower pathogen quantity) versus tolerance (i.e. less symptom severity) of 10 commercial grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars to Pierce’s disease etiological agent, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. Overall, no correlation was detected between pathogen quantity and disease severity, indicating the existence of among-cultivar variation in plant response to infection. Thompson Seedless and Barbera were the two most susceptible among 10 evaluated cultivars. Rubired showed the least severe disease symptoms and was categorized as one of the most resistant genotypes in this study. However, within each cultivar the degree of resistance/tolerance was not consistent across sampling dates. These cultivar and temporal differences in susceptibility to infection may have important consequences for disease epidemiology and the effectiveness of management protocols.