MacStylet, software to analyse electrical penetration graph data on the Macintosh

Conclusion Since the EPG method is increasingly utilized in the investigation of plant-Homoptera interactions, this software has been developed to enable fast processing of abundant data. The objective seems to have been achieved and, with a little practice, a 2-hour experiment may be analysed in about 10–15 minutes. Mac-Stylet is stand-alone shareware, freely distributed to all persons interested (request to G. Febvay, email: febvay@jouy.inra.fr).     

植食性同翅目昆虫寻找和接受植物韧皮部过程中的细胞与化学探试(英文)

植食性同翅目昆虫在最终接受其宿主植物的过程中,将感受从叶表层直到韧皮部筛管途中存在的多种化学物质,并导致不同的刺探和取食行为。本文就植物叶表层存在的糖类和生物碱类物质,叶肉层的多糖类、酸碱度和酚类物质以及韧皮部内的氨基酸、蛋白质、碳水化合物和植物次生物质等对昆虫寻找及取食韧皮部行为的影响作一综述,并且还探讨了植物叶肉层的细胞结构对昆虫刺探及取食行为的可能影响。此外,结合刺探电位(electrical penetration graphs,EPGs)的研究结果,还讨论了昆虫感受植物叶组织内部的各种化学和细胞结构信息的可能机制。     

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.     

假眼小绿叶蝉（Empoasca vitis Gothe）在不同品种茶树上的取食行为

应用可视DC-EPG方法研究了假眼小绿叶蝉(Empoasca vitis Gothe)在9个品种茶苗上的口针刺探行为,共发现并初步确定了7种主要波型,即A波、S波、C波、E波、F波和R波、以及非刺探波NP波。A波为刺探波,S波为口针向韧皮部刺探和进入韧皮部中的分泌唾液波,C波为口针到达韧皮部之前的主动取食波,E波和F波为口针在韧皮部中吸收波,R波为取食间歇波。以该叶蝉在不同品种茶树上的平均刺探次数和各波形平均持续时间为指标,或者以其在不同品种茶树上含有各波形的单次刺探平均持续时间为指标,分别进行聚类分析,均将9个品种分为3个不同的组。S、E和F波对应着假眼小绿叶蝉在茶树上的主要取食活动,可能与茶树抗假眼小绿叶蝉的取食密切相关。以S、E和F各波的平均持续时间、以及含有各波形的单次刺探的平均持续时间为指标,对品种的抗性强弱排序,评判9个茶树品种抗叶蝉取食能力由强至弱的顺序为:龙井长叶、黄旦、政和大白茶、黔湄601、红芽佛手、中茶102、中茶302、龙井43和安吉白茶。该顺序与田间查得的9个品种茶树上假眼小绿叶蝉种群密度由小到大的顺序一致,表明DC-EPG方法简捷、可信度高,可作为检测茶树品种对叶蝉抗性的有效手段之一。     

CELLULAR AND CHEMICAL SAMPLING DURING PHLOEM FINDING AND HOST-PLANT ACCEPTANCE BY HOMOPTERAN INSECTS

Abstract The chemical compounds that exist in plant leaf tissue are of great importance for homopteran insects during the proccess of host-plant acceptance. From the leaf surface to the phloem tube, various groups of chemicals can be detected by insect's receptors which lead to different feeding responses. The effects of sugars and alkaloids in leaf surface; polysaccharides, pH gradients and phenolics in mesophyll; amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates and secondary substances in phloem tube on phloem finding and host-plant acceptance are reviewed respectively in this paper, which also includes the potential effects of mesophyll structures on insect's feeding preference. Furthermore the mechanism by which the insects perceive these chemical and mechanical cues, correlated with the EPG (electrical penetration graph) patterns (a series of visible signals showing the stylet activities in plant tissue) is also discussed.     

Stylet activity of cowpea aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) on leaf extracts of resistant and susceptible cowpea cultivars

Electrical penetration graph recordings using direct current (DC-EPGs) were used to analyze aspects of the probing behavior of cowpea aphid,Aphis craccivora Koch, on intact plants and on hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of leaves of aphid-resistant (ICV-12) and aphid-susceptible (ICV-1) cultivars of cowpeaVigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. In one set of experiments, recordings were done on plants with or without parafilm wrapping, or on plants painted with raw leaf juice and extracts of the two cultivars. In another study, recordings were done on leaf extracts homogenized in water or in 0.5M sucrose solution and then placed in parafilm membrane sachets. Electrodes were inserted into soil mix for the experiments on potted plants or into extract fractions and raw juice for the membrane feeding experiments on leaf extracts in parafilm sachets. Waveform signals were recorded from resistance fluctuations from interactions between aphids and substrates, and electromotive forces generated within each preparation. ICV-12 plants with or without parafilm wrapping, and ethyl acetate extracts and raw juice of that cultivar significantly (P≤0.05) reduced stylet penetration behavior. Thus, antixenosis as manifested by disruption of aphid stylet activity on host substrates, appeared to be a governing modality of aphid resistance in ICV-12.     

Probing behavior of the tea green leafhopper on different tea plant cultivars

The probing behaviors of the tea green leafhopper, Empoasca vitis (Gothe), on 9 tea cultivars were studied using video-text Direct Current-Electrical Penetration Graph, i.e., DC-EPG. The following 7 types of waveforms produced by the leafhopper stylet probing were determined: A, stylet pathway formation; S, salivation when stylets pierce into and stay in phloems; C, active ingestion before stylets reach phloems; E and F, passive ingestion in phloems; R, the insect resting with its stylet inserted into the leaf tissue and NP without probing. The 9 tested tea cultivars were categorized into 3 groups by the cluster analysis according to the number of probes per insect, waveform durations, or duration per probe of various waveforms on different tea cultivars. Waveforms S, E and F correlated to the main feeding activity of the leafhopper and may provide valuable information on predicting the resis-tance level of the tea plants to the leafhopper. The resistance level of the 9 tea cultivars to the leafhopper was ranked based on the durations of waveforms S, E and F, as well as the duration per probe including various waveforms. The ranking order of the resis-tance was: Longjingchangye > Hangdan > Zhenghedabaicha > Qianmei 601 > Hongyafoshuo > Zhongcha 102 > Zhongcha 302 > Longjing 43 > Anjibaicha, which corresponded to the resistance level determined by the population density (infestation) of the leaf-hopper on the 9 tea cultivars in the tea fields. Our study suggests that this simple and convenient DC-EPG technique might have great potential as a reliable tool to predict the resistance of tea cultivars to the tea leafhopper.     

Tissue localisation of lettuce resistance to the aphidNasonovia ribisnigri using electrical penetration graphs

Electrical penetration graphs (EPG's) ofNasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley) (Homoptera, Aphididae) on resistant and susceptible lettuce (Lactuca sativa, Compositae) showed a large reduction in the duration of the food uptake pattern (E2) on the resistant line. No differences in EPG's were observed before the phloem was reached. Therefore, resistance is believed to be located in the phloem vessel. Both mechanical blocking of the sieve element after puncturing and a difference in composition of the phloem sap are possible resistance factors. However, a chemical factor seems more likely because of the specificity of the resistance againstN. ribisnigri.     

Analysis of resistance in tomato and sweet pepper against the greenhouse whitefly using electrically monitored and visually observed probing and feeding behaviour

Different types of plant resistance against the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, were distinguished according to the tissue location of the resistance factors. The effects of resistance factors were compared by measuring the electrically monitored and visually observed probing and feeding behaviour of whiteflies on two resistant tomato genotypes (82207 and 82216), a susceptible tomato cultivar, and a non-host plant, sweet pepper. On sweet pepper, whiteflies displayed very short first probes, very long pathway probing and spent much time on non-feeding activities such as walking and standing still. Also, a high percentage of whiteflies rejected sweet pepper without ingesting substances from the phloem vessel. These data suggest a strong resistance that is based on the factors present in surface/epidermis and/or mesophyll layers of this plant. The behaviour of whiteflies on tomato 82207 was very different from that on sweet pepper. On tomato 82207 whiteflies apparently did not perceive resistance factors on the leaf surface and in the mesophyll. Resistance factors appeared to be present in the phloem tissue, because a higher number of phloem phases, longer phloem salivation periods and shorter phloem ingestion periods were observed when compared with the susceptible tomato cultivar. Tomato 82216 showed no clear resistance factor in the phloem. The importance of combined EPG and behavioural research for host-plant resistance studies are discussed.     

Probing behavior of the tea green leafhopper on different tea plant cultivars

The probing behaviors of the tea green leafhopper, Empoasca vitis (Gothe), on 9 tea cultivars were studied using video-text Direct Current-Electrical Penetration Graph, i.e., DC-EPG. The following 7 types of waveforms produced by the leafhopper stylet probing were determined: A, stylet pathway formation; S, salivation when stylets pierce into and stay in phloems; C, active ingestion before stylets reach phloems; E and F, passive ingestion in phloems; R, the insect resting with its stylet inserted into the leaf tissue and NP without probing. The 9 tested tea cultivars were categorized into 3 groups by the cluster analysis according to the number of probes per insect, waveform durations, or duration per probe of various waveforms on different tea cultivars. Waveforms S, E and F correlated to the main feeding activity of the leafhopper and may provide valuable information on predicting the resis-tance level of the tea plants to the leafhopper. The resistance level of the 9 tea cultivars to the leafhopper was ranked based on the durations of waveforms S, E and F, as well as the duration per probe including various waveforms. The ranking order of the resis-tance was: Longjingchangye > Hangdan > Zhenghedabaicha > Qianmei 601 > Hongyafoshuo > Zhongcha 102 > Zhongcha 302 > Longjing 43 > Anjibaicha, which corresponded to the resistance level determined by the population density (infestation) of the leaf-hopper on the 9 tea cultivars in the tea fields. Our study suggests that this simple and convenient DC-EPG technique might have great potential as a reliable tool to predict the resistance of tea cultivars to the tea leafhopper.