Plant nitrogen status rapidly alters amino acid metabolism and excretion in Bemisia tabaci

Abstract

The effect of plant nitrogen (N) status on the content and distribution of free amino acids in the bodies and honeydew of silverleaf whiteflies Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Biotype B (= B. argentifolii Bellows and Perring) was determined. Whiteflies fed for 4 days on cotton leaves that received high or low N fertility. For low-N plants, photosynthesis and leaf total N levels were decreased, and a much-reduced amount of free amino acids was recovered in phloem sap. Low N fertility did not affect whitefly total N content, but did markedly decrease the free amino acid content. Glutamine, alanine and proline accounted for over half of the insect free amino acid pool for both N treatments. On a relative basis, adjustments in glutamine levels in response to plant N status were much larger compared to the other amino acids. Large amounts of amino N, especially asparagine, were excreted from whiteflies fed on high-N plants whereas amino N excretion essentially ceased for whiteflies fed on low N plants. The distribution of amino acids in the insects and honeydew was not closely related to the phloem sap amino acids. However, total amino acid excretion was quite indicative of the plant N status and the quality of the insect diet. The results indicated that whitefly free amino acid pools and excretion of amino N were rapidly altered by plant N status.