Abstract
Plant vascular systems can translocate the entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis from the soil into plant tissues. However, whether other soil dwelling entomopathogens utilize plant vascular tissue for movement has not yet been fully explored. We used Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) to evaluate whether baculoviruses, a common entomopathogen and bioinsecticide, can be transported through the plant vascular pathways of Zea mays. We found that our treatments did not allow a sufficient virus translocation into the plant to induce a lethal infection in insects, which was confirmed by a molecular analysis. While other entomopathogens translocate, baculoviruses may not be one of them.
Highlights
Plant pathogens are not alone in their ability to enter and navigate through a plant host.The common commensal soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been shown to possess the ability to be admitted and translocated by the plant vascular tissue via the phloem [1,2]
We chose to examine if plant vasculature systems could admit and translocate entomopathogenic viruses using Zea mays, Spodoptera frugiperda, and the specialist nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV)
We examined the possibility of SfMNPV admittance and translocation within maize in the hope of uncovering a novel route of infection of this virus to its insect host
Summary
Plant pathogens are not alone in their ability to enter and navigate through a plant host. The common commensal soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been shown to possess the ability to be admitted and translocated by the plant vascular tissue via the phloem [1,2]. Translocation from the rhizosphere to foliar tissue allows the pathogen to infect potential insect hosts [1,2,3] This microbe-plant-insect interaction has the potential to be a co-evolutionary partnership which would have obvious applications in agriculture. Virus inFor water, and forwe thedrenched latter, we placed cuttings theasame viral water the former, the soil ofleaf maize plantsin with suspension of the suspension This combination of treatments allowed us to determine whether virus in water, and for the latter, we placed leaf cuttings in the same viral water suspenthe virus could be translocated via the to the allowed leaf tissue the virus whether was able the to be sion. Rus could be translocated via the roots to the leaf tissue or if the virus was able to be translocated via the petiole of the leaf
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
