Abstract
The cabbage whitefly (CW), Aleyrodes proletella (L.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is an important pest in Brassica oleracea L. crops. Little is known about the mechanisms of resistance to CW of savoy cabbage and kale cultivars. Light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to determine the relationship between the morphological and anatomical features of savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. convar. capitata (L.) Alef. var. sabauda L.) and kale (Brassica oleracea L. convar. acephala (DC.) Alef. var. sabellica L.) leaves and host suitability to colonization by CW. Two kale cultivars, “Redbor” and “Starbor”, and two savoy cabbage cultivars, “Gloriosa” and “Alcosa”, that differed in the degree of infestation by A. proletella were taken for histological analysis. The lowest infestation by all forms of A. proletella was observed on savoy cabbage cultivar “Alcosa” and kale cultivar “Starbor”. The reduced colonization by cabbage whitefly may be related to the structure of the epidermis and the anatomical features of the leaf. The leaves of “Starbor” and “Alcosa” had more folds in the epidermis, less numerous but larger stomata, and a more compact mesophyll structure compared to “Redbor” and “Gloriosa”. In both analysed species, there was no clear relationship between the thickness of the abaxial epidermal layer, thickness of the lamina, number of vascular bundles, and degree of infestation by the cabbage whitefly. This study identified promising sources of resistance to A. proletella among cultivars of savoy cabbage and kale. Varying infestation by CW was associated with morphological and anatomical characteristics of leaves. Further study is needed to confirm the relationship between insect resistance and leaf surface and morphological characteristics of leaves in a broader range of Brassica spp.
Highlights
The cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) (CW) is an important agricultural pest species that has been a common problem for many commercial crops over the last decade [1,2]
Morphology of Abaxial Leaf Surface Using Light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) Adult forms feed and lay eggs, which hatch later into crawling nymphs on the underside of the leaf (Figure 2), our research focused on the study of the abaxial epidermis
DiscuAslslitoensted cultivars of B. oleracea L. are a host of A. proletella, they clearly differed in infestation with adults, eggs, and larvae of CW
Summary
The cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) (CW) is an important agricultural pest species that has been a common problem for many commercial crops over the last decade [1,2]. There is evidence that plant defense against herbivores is associated with leaf surface and leaf morphological characteristics, such as the type and size of trichomes, trichome density, epidermal thickness, cell wall thickness, color of leaves [9,10,12,13], crystals [14], waxes, and toughened cuticles [15,16]. The selection of host may be affected by both chemical and morphological defenses. The resistance of dwarf-casher plants (Anacardium occidentale L.) to whitefly (Aleurdicus cocois) is associated with an increased number of trichomes and accumulation of high levels of phenolics in leaves [9]. According to Broekgaarden et al [23], resistance in B. oleracea is highly dependent on plant age and compounds present in the phloem
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