Comparison of root tolerance to drought and aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) resistance among different potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars

Peter Quandahor,Changzhong Liu,Chunyan Lin,Yuping Gou,Jeffrey A Coulter

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79766-1

Peter Quandahor, Changzhong Liu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79766-1

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Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the root system architecture and biochemical responses of three potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to drought and aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) infestation under greenhouse conditions. A factorial experiment comprising three potato cultivars (Qingshu 9, Longshu 3, and Atlantic), two levels of water (Well watered and drought) application and aphid infestation (Aphids and no aphids) was conducted. The results show that drought stress and aphid infestation significantly increased the root-projected area, root surface area, number of root tips, and number of root forks of all cultivars, relative to their corresponding control plants. The least root projected area, root surface area, number of root tips, and number of root forks occurred on DXY under both drought and aphid infestation. Nevertheless, the greatest root projected area, root surface area, number of root tips and number of root forks occurred on QS9 plants. Moreover, increased SOD, CAT, and POD activities were observed across all cultivars, under drought and aphid stress. The highest SOD, POD, and CAT activities occurred in QS9; under drought and aphid stress, while the least SOD, POD, and CAT activities was observed in DXY. The Atlantic cultivar, which possesses a root system sensitive to water deficit, demonstrated greater resistance to aphid infestation under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Conversely, Qingshu 9, which possesses a root system tolerant to water deficit, was highly susceptible to aphids. This study shows that the root architectural and biochemical traits that enhance potato tolerance to drought do not necessarily correlate to a plant’s tolerance to aphids.

Highlights

This study was conducted to determine the root system architecture and biochemical responses of three potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to drought and aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) infestation under greenhouse conditions
Relative to the initial population, the number of green peach aphids at 28 days post-infestation associated with Qingshu 9, Longshu 3, and Atlantic was increased by 71.2, 68.7, and 43.3%, respectively, under well-watered conditions, and by 64.2, 60.2, and 35.8% under drought stress (Fig. 1)
Green peach aphids reared on Atlantic plants exhibited a 53.1 and 44.4% decrease in population compared with those reared on Qingshu 9 and Longshu 3 plants, respectively, under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions, at 32 days post-infestation

Summary

Introduction

This study was conducted to determine the root system architecture and biochemical responses of three potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to drought and aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) infestation under greenhouse conditions. The results show that drought stress and aphid infestation significantly increased the root-projected area, root surface area, number of root tips, and number of root forks of all cultivars, relative to their corresponding control plants. The Atlantic cultivar, which possesses a root system sensitive to water deficit, demonstrated greater resistance to aphid infestation under well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) is a common aphid species that attacks close to 400 crops from diverse families as secondary hosts[19] These aphids cause major damage to potato plants through feeding, honeydew production, and transmission of v iruses[20]. The use of aphid-resistant potato cultivars has been proposed as one of the most important strategies for aphid control in C hina[25,28]

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