Host Acceptance and Plant Resistance: A Comparative Behavioral Study of <i>Myzus persicae</i> and <i>Acyrthosiphon pisum</i>

oleh: Yi-Syuan Jhou, Sushanthi Poovendhan, Li-Hsin Huang, Chi-Wei Tsai

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-10-01

Deskripsi

Aphids are prominent phloem-feeding insect pests. <i>Myzus persicae</i> and <i>Acyrthosiphon pisum</i> are generalist and specialist species, respectively. In this study, these two aphid species were used to investigate host acceptance and plant resistance to aphid feeding. <i>M.</i><i>persicae</i> survived and reproduced on rape (<i>Brassica rapa</i>), but few individuals (9%) survived on faba bean (<i>Vicia faba</i>). <i>A.</i><i>pisum</i> survived and reproduced on faba bean, but no <i>A.</i><i>pisum</i> survived on rape. The probing and feeding behavior of <i>M. persicae</i> and <i>A. pisum</i> on rape and faba bean was examined using an electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique. The results demonstrated the feeding preferences of these two aphid species. The EPG results suggest that the resistance of faba bean to <i>M. persicae</i> and that of rape to <i>A. pisum</i> are likely residing in the phloem and mesophyll tissues, respectively. Due to the distinct probing and feeding behaviors, specialist and generalist aphids would have different impacts on the epidemiology of plant viral diseases. The findings can be applied to the management of viral diseases transmitted by specialist or generalist aphids in crop production.