Aphid Preference Research Articles

Effects of Conventional and Organic Fertilization on the Chemical Profile of Sorghum bicolor and the Preference of Sugarcane Aphids (Melanaphis sacchari)

Melanaphis sacchari is a cosmopolitan pest that causes losses in sorghum crops, so new management methods are needed. In addition, the type of fertilization used influences plant compositions and pest infestation, and allelochemicals are a promising method for the possible management of M. sacchari. In this work, we measured the preference of M. sacchari through chemical stimuli towards sorghum plants grown under greenhouse conditions without fertilization (F0), conventional fertilization (CF), and organic fertilization (OF). Leaves were collected from sorghum plants fertilized with 200 kg N ha−1 using ammonium sulfate and poultry manure. Extracts were obtained using Soxhlet extraction, and the compounds were identified using a gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sorghum extracts were individually tested through bioassays to determine M. sacchari preference. The abundance and number of compounds in sorghum differed depending on the type of fertilization used. M. sacchari showed a preference for the extract from CF sorghum plants (76.66%) over the extract from OF plants (23.34%). Therefore, the type of fertilization can be used as a tactic to prevent higher infestations of M. sacchari. The biological activity of the compounds identified here with M. sacchari should be determined for future pest management strategies using allelochemicals, given that the sugarcane aphid uses chemical signals to locate its host plant.

Previous infestation by conspecifics leads to a transient increase of the performance of Sitobion avenae aphids on wheat leaves

Abstract The ecological niche of aphids is largely defined by the phloem sap of plants, which they consume. Previous studies revealed that aphids may change the phloem sap metabolome and that a previous aphid infestation may benefit them. As aphids reproduce parthenogenetically, the performance and preference of aphids of the same monoclonal aphid lineage can be compared between previously uninfested and previously aphid‐infested plants. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaves were infested by clonal lineages of Sitobion avenae aphids for 9–10 days. Leaf phloem exudates were analysed using amino acid profiling and metabolic fingerprinting, capturing mainly specialised metabolites. It was investigated whether aphid colony sizes differ between leaves that were previously uninfested or infested by aphids of a different clonal lineage or by aphids of the same clonal lineage and whether aphids show a preference for any of these leaves. The relative concentrations of metabolites in the phloem exudates were not affected by aphid infestation. Aphid colonies were partly larger on previously aphid‐infested leaves than on control leaves. However, this effect was transient and finally colonies had similar sizes. Given a choice between previously aphid‐infested and uninfested leaves, S. avenae nymphs showed no preferences. The findings that positive effects of previous aphid infestation on aphid performance are transient and that the performance but not the preference of the aphids was affected by previous aphid infestation highlight the temporal dynamics and complexity of aphid–plant interactions. Niche alteration processes may be partly involved in these interactions.

Chemodiversity affects preference for Tanacetum vulgare chemotypes in two aphid species

Plants of the same species can strongly differ in their specialized metabolite profiles, which can affect insect presence and abundance in the field. However, how specialized chemistry shapes plant attractiveness to herbivorous insects is not fully understood. Here, we used common tansy Tanacetum vulgare, Asteraceae) – a perennial plant that is highly diverse in terpenoid composition and is known to have variable chemotypes – to test whether 1) plants with different chemotype profiles differ in attractiveness to two specialist aphid species, Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria and Uroleucon tanaceti, in pairwise choice assays; 2) the diversity of the terpenoid blend affects plant attractiveness to aphids; 3) how plant chemical traits relate to plant morphological traits and which traits best explain aphid preference. We found that M. tanacetaria preferred two out of five chemotypes, dominated by α‐thujone/β‐thujone and β‐trans‐chrysanthenyl acetate, while avoiding a chemotype dominated by α‐pinene/sabinene. Uroleucon tanaceti showed no clear preference towards chemotypes, but when given a choice between chemotypes dominated by α‐thujone/β‐thujone and by α‐pinene/sabinene, they preferred the former. Importantly, plant attractiveness to aphids was marginally negatively correlated with chemodiversity, i.e. the number of terpenoid compounds, in M. tanacetaria, but not in U. tanaceti. Interestingly, the relative concentration and number of terpenoids were generally higher in larger and bushier plants. Hence, we did not observe a tradeoff between plant growth and defence. We conclude that plant chemical composition affects plant attractiveness to aphids and hence may contribute to variation in natural aphid colonization patterns on plants of the same species.

Effect of Rickettsiella viridis endosymbionts introduced into Myzus persicae aphids on parasitism by Diaeretiella rapae: A combined strategy for aphid control?

Aphids are major crop pests in southeastern regions of Australia. Some aphid species harbor heritable facultative endosymbionts that may induce beneficial or detrimental impacts on aphids under certain ecological conditions. Aphid-parasitoid interactions can be greatly affected by facultative endosymbionts but there is still limited research on many species of economic significance. Here we assessed the effects of a facultative endosymbiont, Ricketsiella viridis, on parasitism of the major aphid pest, Myzus persicae, by Diaeretiella rapae. We found that R. viridis does not provide M. persicae with significant protection against D. rapae, with parasitoids showing a preference for probing aphids infected with R. viridis. The fecundity of M. persicae is reduced due to infection with R. viridis regardless of the presence of parasitoids. Moreover, we show that parasitoids may facilitate horizontal and subsequent vertical transmission of facultative endosymbionts in aphids which could increase the spread of deleterious effects associated with R. viridis. Based on these findings, simultaneous release of D. rapae and M. persicae infected with R. viridis in the early cropping season (lower population densities and cooler conditions) may contribute to an effective strategy for efficient management of this pest.

Yellow Leaf Disease Resistance and Melanaphis sacchari Preference in Commercial Sugarcane Cultivars.

Sugarcane yellow leaf disease (YLD) caused by sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV) is a major threat for the sugarcane industry worldwide, and the aphid Melanaphis sacchari is its main vector. Breeding programs in Brazil have provided cultivars with intermediate resistance to ScYLV, whereas the incidence of ScYLV has been underestimated partly due to the complexity of YLD symptom expression and identification. Here, we evaluated YLD symptoms in a field assay using eight sugarcane genotypes comprising six well-established commercial high-sucrose cultivars, one biomass yield cultivar, and a susceptible reference under greenhouse conditions, along with estimation of virus titer through RT-qPCR from leaf samples. Additionally, a free-choice bioassay was used to determine the number of aphids feeding on the SCYLV-infected cultivars. Most of the cultivars showed some degree of resistance to YLD, while also revealing positive RT-qPCR results for ScYLV and virus titers with non-significant correlation with YLD severity. The cultivars IACSP01-5503 and IACBIO-266 were similar in terms of aphid preference and ScYLV resistance traits, whereas the least preferred cultivar by M. sacchari, IACSP96-7569, showed intermediate symptoms but similar virus titer to the susceptible reference, SP71-6163. We conclude that current genetic resistance incorporated into sugarcane commercial cultivars does not effectively prevent the spread of ScYLV by its main aphid vector.

Alterations in the odor profile of plants in cultivar mixtures affect aphid host-location behavior.

The effect of cultivar mixtures on aphid control is attributed to the masking or alteration of host-preferred cultivar odor cues. However, the underlying physiological mechanism remains unclear. This study assessed alterations in the volatile emissions of wheat cultivars grown together (Florence-Aurora and Forment; Florence-Aurora and Montcada) and the consequences for the olfactory preference of aphids. Volatile organic compounds were collected from wheat plants grown in a laboratory under mixed or monoculture conditions and subsequently analyzed. The odor profiles of Florence-Aurora and Montcada were indistinguishable from each other. However, the odors of Florence-Aurora and Forment grown in monocultures differed significantly from those emitted by their mixture. The Florence-Aurora and Forment mixture induced plant physiological responses that affected the emission of single volatile compounds and, consequently, altered volatile organic compound ratios. English grain aphids (Sitobion avenae) were less attracted to the odors of Florence-Aurora and Forment when grown as a mixture than the combination of the odors from Florence-Aurora and Forment monocultures. Moreover, aphids preferred clean air over the odor from the Florence-Aurora and Forment mixture but preferred the odor from the Florence-Aurora and Montcada mixture over clean air. This study highlights the beneficial effects of intraspecific plant diversity on aphid control by altering plant odors in response to plant-plant interactions. The emission of less attractive odor cues consequently affects plant-aphid interactions; hence, less attractive odors are likely to impair aphid host-locating behavior. This effect was exclusive to certain cultivar mixtures, which supports the "right neighbor" concept.

Metabolic engineering of a 1,8-cineole synthase enhances aphid repellence and increases trichome density in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.).

The green peach aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) is a harmful agricultural pest that causes severe crop damage by directly feeding or indirectly vectoring viruses. 1,8-cineole synthase (CINS) is a multiproduct enzyme that synthesizes monoterpenes, with 1,8-cineole dominating the volatile organic compound profile. However, the relationship between aphid preference and CINS remains elusive. Here, we present evidence that SoCINS, a protein from garden sage (Salvia officinalis), enhanced aphid repellence and increased trichome density in transgenic tobacco. Our results demonstrated that overexpression of SoCINS (SoCINS-OE) led to the emission of 1,8-cineole at a level of up to 181.5 ng per g fresh leaf. Subcellular localization assay showed that SoCINS localized to chloroplasts. A Y-tube olfactometer assay and free-choice assays revealed that SoCINS-OE plants had a repellent effect on aphids, without incurring developmental or fecundity-related penalties. Intriguingly, the SoCINS-OE plants displayed an altered trichome morphology, showing increases in trichome density and in the relative proportion of glandular trichomes, as well as enlarged glandular cells. We also found that SoCINS-OE plants had significantly higher jasmonic acid (JA) levels than wild-type plants. Furthermore, application of 1,8-cineole elicited increased JA content and trichome density. Our results demonstrate that SoCINS-OE plants have a repellent effect on aphids, and suggest an apparent link between 1,8-cineole, JA and trichome density. This study presents a viable and sustainable approach for aphid management by engineering the expression of 1,8-cineole synthase gene in plants, and underscores the potential usefulness of monoterpene synthase for pest control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Study of barley yellow dwarf virus: dynamics of aphid-plant interaction

Physics continues to be an inexhaustible source of problems that have inspired the theoretical development of mathematics, particularly in the development of the theory of dynamical systems that have their origin in the physics of the 15th century, with the beginning of differential calculus by Newton and Leibniz; differential equations are an appropriate tool for research in different areas of knowledge. Our objective is to show an example of how we can use dynamical systems in a problem framed in forestry and agricultural systems, ecology, and epidemiology. This work is inspired by one of the essential primary crops in the energy intake of the human diet, wheat; as it turns out, the productivity of this food can be affected by several biotic stresses, including viral diseases and their associated vectors. Among the viral infections is the barley yellow dwarf virus, which causes 11% to 33% yield losses in wheat fields; the virus moves through the agricultural landscape via different aphid species (vectors). The main problem is that aphids prefer colonizing plants with the virus, causing rapid growth of infected plants and substantially decreasing crop productivity; therefore, we propose to study the dynamics of aphid-plant interaction, in which the impact of aphid preference for infected plants is determined, and we obtained as a result that a key parameter is the quantity and quality of food consumed by aphids.

Ethylene emitted by viral pathogen-infected pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants is a volatile chemical cue that attracts aphid vectors.

Plant viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens, and most depend on insect vectors for transmission between plants. Viral infection causes various physiological and metabolic changes in host traits, which subsequently influence the behavior and fitness of the insect vectors. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), one of the most widespread pathogens in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), is transmitted by aphid vectors in a non-persistent manner. Here, we examined whether CMV infection in pepper affects the behavior of aphid vectors (Myzus persicae and Aphis glycines) in pepper. Aphid preference test revealed that significantly more aphids were attracted to CMV-infected pepper plants than to healthy plants. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed a significant activation of the ethylene biosynthesis pathway in CMV-infected pepper plants. Indeed, gas chromatography analysis demonstrated that ethylene emission was significantly increased by CMV infection in pepper plants. Elevated ethylene emission in ethephon-treated healthy pepper increased their attractiveness to aphids. In contrast, aphid preference decreased after chemical inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis in CMV-infected pepper plants. Our results suggest that the ethylene emitted by CMV infection is a volatile cue that regulates the attractiveness of pepper plants to M. persicae and A. glycines.

Elucidating effect of different photosynthetic pigments on Lipaphis erysimi preference and population build‐up on diverse Brassica juncea genotypes

AbstractBrassica juncea is the most important oilseed crop in India, and Lipaphis erysimi is a major pest of this crop. The study aimed at knowing the role of photosynthetic pigments in host preference and population build‐up by L. erysimi on diverse B. juncea genotypes. We found significant differences among test genotypes for aphid preference, multiplication rate and population build‐up, and chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B, total chlorophyll, total carotenoids and Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) chlorophyll and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values in healthy and aphid damaged flowers, immature siliquae and grain filled siliquae. The L. erysimi damage reduced all the photosynthetic pigments across plant parts of test B. juncea genotypes. The aphid damage resulted in change in chlorophyll B in flowers and total chlorophyll in immature siliquae showed positive association with leaf preference, while total carotenoids in flowers and grain filled siliquae had negative association with leaf and bud preference by L. erysimi. Chlorophylls A and B in the siliquae showed significant and positive association with multiplication rate and population build‐up of L. erysimi on B. juncea. Change in chlorophyll A, total chlorophyll and total carotenoids because of aphid damage contributed to 38.6% variation in host preference and 21.9% variation in multiplication rate and population build‐up of L. erysimi on different B. juncea genotypes. Genotypes PM 30, RH 749, PDZ 6, Pusa 119‐1‐3, Pusa 119‐1‐1 and Kranti were found with least leaf and bud preference, lower aphid multiplication rate and population build‐up, and higher amounts of different chlorophylls and total carotenoids, suggesting their use in aphid resistance breeding programme.

Preference of the Waterlily Aphid, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Four Hostplants

Waterlily aphid Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae is one of the aphids that have many hosts, including Azolla filiculoides, Limnobium laevigatum, Monochoria vaginalis and Spirodela polyrhiza. The aim of this study was to study the effect of host shift and confirm the results of previous studies on the effect of nitrogen and carbon factors among A. filiculoides, L. laevigatum, M. vaginalis and S. polyrhiza on the level of aphid preference and number of offspring. Analysis of the nitrogen and carbon content of plants was also carried out to confirm the preference and number of offspring produced by aphids. The study began with maintaining aphids on the four tested hosts, up to the 4th generation. Twenty five individuals were randomly selected from each host, then released on the inner wall of the plastic container (14 x 7.5 x 15 cm3) which was filled with four hosts arranged side by side. Observations were made every 24 hours up to 97 hours starting from the first hour after treatment. Observations after 97 hours showed that waterlily aphids imago preferred L. laevigatum the most (49.28%), then on M. vaginalis (20.43%), S. polyrhiza (16.33%), and A. filiculoides (1.75%). Meanwhile, the number of offspring produced by each group of aphids that selected on four hosts were: 46.65 individuals on L. laevigatum, 37.8 individuals on M. vaginalis, 19 individuals on S. polyrhiza, and 0.6 individuals on A. filiculoides. The analysis showed that the highest nitrogen content was found in M. vaginalis (4.16%), followed by S. polyrhiza (3.71%), L. laevigatum (2.33%), and A. filiculoides (2.08%).

Evaluation of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) for control of vector-borne diseases in solanaceous crops

Every year, solanaceous crops, such as potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), suffer important economic loss due to insect pests and the diseases they transmit. While pesticides can be used to control insects directly, they can exacerbate some vector-borne diseases by increasing insect movement among plants and thus increase disease transmission. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis, as a potential control strategy for insect vectors and vector-borne disease of tomato and potato. AVG application (0.5 g/L) was evaluated in field plots and insect populations were monitored. Two field applications of AVG reduced total insect and leafhopper populations in tomato and potato plots, however, AVG increased thrips populations in tomato fields later in the growing season. Dual-choice bioassays were performed to examine the effect of AVG on insect preference toward virus-infected plants. AVG application reduced aphid preference to Potato leafroll virus infected potato plants but did not affect leafhopper preference to Beet curly top virus infected tomato plants. Taken together, these results suggest that AVG has the potential to be used as a component of integrated management practices, but additional studies will be required.

Antagonist effects of the leek Allium porrum as a companion plant on aphid host plant colonization

Combining a non-host plant (companion plant or CP) with a target cultivated plant is considered as a promising strategy to reduce pest pressure. Among the companion plants (CP) commonly used in integrated systems, those belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family (chives, garlic, onion, leek) exhibit characteristics related to certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with promising repellent potentialities. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential disruption of sweet pepper (host plant) colonization by the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) when exposed to leek (Allium porrum) as a CP. Retention/dispersion, EPG and clip-cage/Petri dish laboratory experiments were thus performed to study the effect of leek VOCs on aphid settlement/migration, feeding behavior and life history traits parameters, respectively. This work revealed that leek as a CP had a negative effect on aphid feeding behavior, by disturbing the balance between phloem and xylem sap ingestion, but had no influence concerning aphid settlement. Surprisingly, leek as a CP triggered some unexpected probiotic effects on certain life history traits such as aphid survival, biomass, and fecundity, suggesting a possible hormetic effect of leek VOCs on aphid physiology. The possibility of experience-induced preference of aphids for leek VOCs was also discussed.

Interaction between the Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) and Stagonospora Nodorum Blotch (Parastagonospora nodorum) on Wheat.

Simple SummaryThe bird cherry-oat aphid and the fungal plant pathogen causing stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) are common pests of wheat. Plants are under constant attack by multiple pests and diseases but there are limited studies on the interaction between several pests on wheat. We therefore conducted controlled greenhouse and laboratory experiments to determine how these pests affected each other on a wheat plant. We found that aphid feeding predisposed wheat to fungal disease, but that aphids preferred and reproduced better on leaves that had not been infected by the fungal pathogen. These results are important to understand the interactions between multiple pests on wheat and how to develop new control strategies in future integrated pest management (IPM).Wheat plants are under constant attack by multiple pests and diseases. Until now, there are no studies on the interaction between the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi and the plant pathogenic fungus Parastagonospora nodorum causal agent of septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) on wheat. Controlled experiments were conducted to determine: (i) The preference and reproduction of aphids on P. nodorum inoculated and non-inoculated wheat plants and (ii) the effect of prior aphid infestation of wheat plants on SNB development. The preference and reproduction of aphids was determined by releasing female aphids on P. nodorum inoculated (SNB+) and non-inoculated (SNB−) wheat leaves. The effect of prior aphid infestation of wheat plants on SNB development was determined by inoculating P. nodorum on aphid-infested (Aphid+) and aphid free (Aphid−) wheat plants. Higher numbers of aphids moved to and settled on the healthy (SNB−) leaves than inoculated (SNB+) leaves, and reproduction was significantly higher on SNB− leaves than on SNB+ leaves. Aphid infestation of wheat plants predisposed the plants to P. nodorum infection and colonization. These results are important to understand the interactions between multiple pests in wheat and hence how to develop new strategies in future integrated pest management (IPM).

Variation Between Three Eragrostis tef Accessions in Defense Responses to Rhopalosiphum padi Aphid Infestation.

Tef (Eragrostis tef), a staple crop that originated in the Horn of Africa, has been introduced to multiple countries over the last several decades. Crop cultivation in new geographic regions raises questions regarding the molecular basis for biotic stress responses. In this study, we aimed to classify the insect abundance on tef crop in Israel, and to elucidate its chemical and physical defense mechanisms in response to insect feeding. To discover the main pests of tef in the Mediterranean climate, we conducted an insect field survey on three selected accessions named RTC-144, RTC-405, and RTC-406, and discovered that the most abundant insect order is Hemiptera. We compared the differences in Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera; Aphididae) aphid performance, preference, and feeding behavior between the three accessions. While the number of aphid progeny was lower on RTC-406 than on the other two, the aphid olfactory assay indicated that the aphids tended to be repelled from the RTC-144 accession. To highlight the variation in defense responses, we investigated the physical and chemical mechanisms. As a physical barrier, the density of non-granular trichomes was evaluated, in which a higher number of trichomes on the RTC-406 than on the other accessions was observed. This was negatively correlated with aphid performance. To determine chemical responses, the volatile and central metabolite profiles were measured upon aphid attack for 4 days. The volatile analysis exposed a rich and dynamic metabolic profile, and the central metabolism profile indicated that tef plants adjust their sugars and organic and amino acid levels. Overall, we found that the tef plants possess similar defense responses as other Poaceae family species, while the non-volatile deterrent compounds are yet to be characterized. A transcriptomic time-series analysis of a selected accession RTC-144 infested with aphids revealed a massive alteration of genes related to specialized metabolism that potentially synthesize non-volatile toxic compounds. This is the first report to reveal the variation in the defense mechanisms of tef plants. These findings can facilitate the discovery of insect-resistance genes leading to enhanced yield in tef and other cereal crops.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Wheat Resistance to Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Brazilian Wheat Cultivars.

Rhopalosiphum padi L. is one of the predominant aphids affecting wheat crops worldwide. Therefore, the identification of resistant genotypes and the understanding of molecular response mechanisms involved in wheat resistance to this aphid may contribute to the development of new breeding strategies. In this study, we evaluated the resistance of 15 wheat cultivars to R. padi and performed morpho-histological and gene expression analyses of two wheat cultivars (BRS Timbaúva, resistant and Embrapa 16, susceptible) challenged and unchallenged by R. padi. The main findings of our work are as follows: 1) most Brazilian wheat cultivars recently released are resistant to R. padi; 2) Green leaf volatiles are probably involved in the resistance of the BRS Timbaúva cultivar to the aphid; 3) trichomes were more abundant and larger in the resistant cultivar; 4) the internal morphology did not show differences between cultivars; 5) the lipoxygenase-encoding gene was downregulated in the susceptible cultivar and basal expression remained level in the resistant cultivar; and 6) the expression of resistance-related proteins was induced in the resistant but not in the susceptible cultivar. Lipoxygenase is the first enzyme in the octadecanoic pathway, a well-known route for the synthesis of signaling molecules involved in the activation of plant defense. The overall analyses suggest that the key steps in BRS Timbaúva resistance to R. padi may be presence or absence of green leaf volatiles decreasing the aphid preference and the action of nonglandular trichome as a physical barrier, which allows continuous lipoxygenase-encoding gene expression.

Adaptive changes in morph and preference induced by novel host plants mediate host specialization of the cotton–melon aphid

Flexibility and variations in morphological and physiological traits are the key for insect herbivores to adapt to environments. The cotton–melon aphid Aphis gossypii Glover is a polyphagous insect which populations exhibit host specialization. Feeding experience on specific host plants converted host specialization in this aphid. However, adaptive changes of this aphids during the host conversion are still unclear. Here, we examined variations in body length, leg segments, and host preference of the cotton-specialized and cucurbit-specialized aphids, A. gossypii, induced by novel host plants. We found that on the original host plants, body, femur, tibia, and tarsus of the cucurbit-specialized aphids were significantly longer than these of the cotton-specialized aphids. However, feeding on zucchini or cowpea resulted in the short body and leg segments in the cucurbit-specialized aphids, whereas led to the long body and leg segments or no changes in the cotton-specialized aphids, and consequently, the tarsus lengths became equal between the cotton- and cucurbit-specialized aphids. Interestingly, the change trends of the relative lengths of leg segments to body length with the increase of reared generation on zucchini were almost different between the cucurbit-specialized and cotton-specialized aphids, especially the relative length of tarsus, but on cowpea, the trends were similar. Meanwhile, feeding on zucchini altered host preference of the cotton-specialized aphids, but not of the cucurbit-specialized aphids. Novel host plants induce adaptive changes in leg segments and host preference of aphids, suggesting the conversion of host specialization.

Food quality of Ephestia eggs, the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi and mixed diet for Orius majusculus

AbstractWe studied the food quality of the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi to the pirate bug Orius majusculus using Ephestia eggs as high‐quality comparison prey. Several performance parameters were tested on individuals that had been reared and maintained on each of the two single‐prey diets or on a mixed diet. All fitness parameters were lower in individuals fed aphids only, indicating poor food quality of this prey. Compared with the pure Ephestia egg diet, the mixed diet enhanced teneral mass, while adult survival and female starvation tolerance were negatively affected and all other traits were unaffected. Body protein proportions were constant across diets, whereas lipid proportion was low in the aphid treatment. Preference for aphids was lower following a monotypic aphid diet than when reared on Ephestia eggs or a mixed diet. The results confirm that R. padi is low‐quality food for O. majusculus as it is for other generalist predators, even though O. majusculus may contribute significantly to population suppression of the aphid.

Asymmetry in Herbivore Effector Responses: Caterpillar Frass Effectors Reduce Performance of a Subsequent Herbivore.

Multiple species of phytophagous insects may co-occur on a plant and while plants can defend themselves from insect herbivory, plant responses to damage by different species and feeding guilds of insects may be asymmetric. Plants can trigger specific responses to elicitors/effectors in insect secretions altering herbivore performance. Recently, maize chitinases present in fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) frass were shown to act as effectors suppressing caterpillar-induced defenses in maize while increasing caterpillar performance. We investigated the effect of frass chitinase-mediated suppression of herbivore defenses in maize on the performance and preference of a subsequent insect herbivore from a different feeding guild, corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis). Aphid performance was highest on plants with FAW damage without frass chitinases compared to damaged plants with frass chitinases or undamaged plants. Plant exposure to frass chitinases post FAW damage also altered the production of herbivore-induced volatile compounds compared to damaged, buffer-treated plants. However, aphid preference to damaged,frass chitinase-treated plants was not different from damaged, buffer-treated plants or undamaged plants. This study suggests that frass effector-mediated alteration of plant defenses affects insect herbivores asymmetrically; while it enhances the performance of caterpillars, it suppresses the performance of subsequent herbivores from a different feeding guild.

Influence of cell wall polymers and their modifying enzymes during plant-aphid interactions.

Aphids are a major issue for commercial crops. These pests drain phloem nutrients and transmit ~50% of the known insect-borne viral diseases. During aphid feeding, trophic structures called stylets advance toward the phloem intercellularly, disrupting cell wall polymers. It is thought that cell wall-modifying enzymes (CWMEs) present in aphid saliva facilitate stylet penetration through this intercellular polymer network. Additionally, different studies have demonstrated that host settling preference, feeding behavior, and colony performance of aphids are influenced by modulating the CWME expression levels in host plants. CWMEs have been described as critical defensive elements for plants, but also as a key virulence factor for plant pathogens. However, whether CWMEs are elements of the plant defense mechanisms or the aphid infestation process remains unclear. Therefore, in order to better consider the function of CWMEs and cell wall-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) during plant–aphid interactions, the present review integrates different hypotheses, perspectives, and experimental evidence in the field of plant–aphid interactions and discusses similarities to other well-characterized models such as the fungi–plant pathosystems from the host and the attacker perspectives.