Abstract
Short rotation woody biomass cultivars developed from fast-growing shrub species of willow (Salix spp.) have superior properties as perennial energy crops for the Northeast and Midwest US. However, the insect pest potato leafhopper (PLH) Empoasca fabae (Harris) can cause serious damage and reduce yield of susceptible genotypes. Currently, the willow cultivars in use display varying levels of susceptibility under PLH infestation. However, genes and markers for resistance to PLH are not yet available for marker-assisted selection in breeding. In this study, transcriptome differences between a resistant genotype 94006 (S. purpurea) and a susceptible cultivar ‘Jorr’ (S. viminalis), and their hybrid progeny were determined. Over 600 million RNA-Seq reads were generated and mapped to the Salix purpurea reference transcriptome. Gene expression analyses revealed the unique defense mechanism in resistant genotype 94006 that involves PLH-induced secondary cell wall modification. In the susceptible genotypes, genes involved in programed cell death were highly expressed, explaining the necrosis symptoms after PLH feeding. Overall, the discovery of resistance genes and defense mechanisms provides new resources for shrub willow breeding and research in the future.
Highlights
The increasing worldwide demand for energy, together with the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases and accumulating evidence of climate change, compels the development of renewable energy sources
Progeny in the F1 family and their parents were planted in a field trial in Geneva, NY, USA, in 2014 in which each genotype was planted in a three-plant plot in each of four randomized complete blocks
Biosynthesis of secondary cell wall compounds as a compensation for potato leafhopper (PLH) injury
Summary
The increasing worldwide demand for energy, together with the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases and accumulating evidence of climate change, compels the development of renewable energy sources. Fast-growing shrub willow species (Salix spp.) have shown great potential for development of short rotation woody biomass crops for renewable and sustainable bioenergy sources as alternatives to traditional petroleum energy and ‘first generation’ biofuels produced from annual crops [1]. As a feedstock for biofuels and bioproduct, shrub willow has multiple advantages: fast-growing with a short harvest cycle, high biomass yield, high net energy ratio, and relatively low demand for fertilizer and management inputs [2]. Transcriptome analysis of insect resistance in shrub willow. 19703 from the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (https://nifa.usda.gov/grants). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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