Effect of Sugarcane Cultivars Infected with Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (ScYLV) on Feeding Behavior and Biological Performance of Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae).

Luiz Eduardo Tilhaqui Bertasello,Luciana Rossini Pinto,Michele Carmo-Sousa,Marcos Cesar Gonçalves,João R Spotti Lopes,Nathalie K Prado Maluta

doi:10.3390/plants10102122

Abstract

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV), Polerovirus, Luteoviridae, is one of the main viruses that infect sugarcane worldwide. The virus is transmitted by the aphid Melanaphis sacchari in a persistent, circulative manner. To better understand the interactions between ScYLV, sugarcane genotypes and M. sacchari, we explored the effect of sugarcane cultivars on the feeding behavior and biological performance of the vector. The number of nymphs, adults, winged, total number of aphids and dead aphids was assayed, and an electrical penetration graph (EPG) was used to monitor the stylet activities. Multivariate analysis showed changes in the vector’s behavior and biology on cultivars, identifying specific groups of resistance. In the cultivar 7569, only 5.5% of the insects were able to stay longer on sustained phloem ingestion, while in the other seven cultivars these values varied from 20% to 60%. M. sacchari showed low phloem activities in cultivars 7569 and Bio266. Overall, cultivar 7569 showed the worst biological performance of aphids, with the insects presenting mechanical difficulties for feeding and a shorter duration of the phloem period, and thus being considered the most resistant. We conclude that ScYLV virus infection in different sugarcane cultivars induced specific changes in the host plant, modifying the behavior of its main vector, which may favor or impair virus transmission.

Highlights

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV), genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae, responsible for the yellow leaf disease (YLD) of sugarcane, is restricted to the plant phloem [1] and efficiently transmitted by the aphid Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in a persistent, circulative and non-propagative manner [2]
The objective of this work was to determine the effect of eight ScYLV-infected sugarcane cultivars on the feeding behavior and biological performance of M. sacchari, and to identify cultivars that present some type of resistance to the vector and are expected to reduce the virus transmission rate in the field
One of the determining factors in viral epidemiology is the interaction between the pathogen and its vector [34]; the advance in the knowledge of the relationships between them is essential for the development of effective management strategies

Summary

Introduction

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV), genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae, responsible for the yellow leaf disease (YLD) of sugarcane, is restricted to the plant phloem [1] and efficiently transmitted by the aphid Melanaphis sacchari (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in a persistent, circulative and non-propagative manner [2]. Viruses can modify directly or indirectly the behavior of their vectors to increase the chances of transmission to new hosts [12] These behavioral changes can occur in different ways, depending on whether they result from the presence of the virus in the vector body (direct effect), or mediated by physiological changes in the host plant (e.g., sugar content and leaf color) as a result of infection by the pathogen, which can modulate the behavior and performance of the vector in the host (indirect effect) [13]. The transmission of plant viruses by their arthropod vectors is mediated by specific interactions between the plant, the virus and the vector [15]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion