Different Host Plants Distinctly Influence the Feeding Ability of the Brown Citrus Aphid Toxoptera citricida

Abstract

Piercing–sucking insects are important crop pests, and an understanding of their feeding behavior and population development plays a crucial role in studying insect population dynamics and crop resistance. In our study, we examined the probing behavior of the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida, using electropenetrography and assessed its population development after 8 days on seven host plants: Yuzu, Citrus junos Sieb. ex Tanaka; Rough Lemon, C. jambhiri Lush.; ‘Luofu’ kumquat, Fortunella margarita Swingle; ‘Olinda’ valencia orange, C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck; ‘Yanxiwanlu’ Ponkan, C. reticulata Blanco; ‘Rohde Red’ valencia orange, C. sinensis; and ‘Eureka’ lemon, C. limon (L.) Osbeck. The results demonstrated that probing by the brown citrus aphid differed significantly according to the target hosts. Toxoptera citricida produced significantly more pathway activities on Eureka than on Rough Lemon and Yuzu. Toxoptera citricida spent more time from the first probe to first salivation into phloem sieve elements on Eureka compared to Yuzu. In addition, the total duration of ingestion from sieve cells of each aphid in the phloem-feeding phase was shortest on Eureka, and this was significantly shorter than that on Yuzu, Rough Lemon, Luofu, and Olinda. The population number of T. citricida on Eureka after 8 days was significantly lower than that on the other hosts. Overall, Eureka was found to have obvious resistance to T. citricida, whereas Yuzu and Rough Lemon were susceptible host plants. These results provide a theoretical basis for exploring aphid-resistant fruit tree resources using resistant varieties.

Citrus Aphids in Algarve Region (Portugal): Species, Hosts, and Biological Control

“…In cotton, antixenosis is activated after the first aphid attack through the release of plant defense elicitors [44], making the crop less susceptible to aphids. Using electropenetrography, it was shown that the feeding parameters of the brown citrus aphid were different depending on the citrus host species [45]. These results may indicate a potential fitness of aphids dependent on citrus hosts.…”

Different Tea Germplasms Distinctly Influence the Adaptability of Toxoptera aurantii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

“…The current methods of managing aphids focus mostly on insecticides [ 10 , 11 ]. In attempting to avoid the negative effects of chemical insecticides, the utilization of resistant tea germplasms to control aphids has emerged as an economical, effective, and environmentally friendly management strategy [ 12 , 13 ]. Unfortunately, few reports regarding the resistance of tea plants to T. aurantii have been published, which are insufficient for screening aphid-resistant tea germplasms.…”

“…Owing to their efficiency and accuracy, the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique and life tables are useful tools for screening insect-resistant germplasm resources to comprehensively analyze the adaptation of piercing–sucking insects to plants [ 12 ]. EPG signals can reflect the location of the stylet in the plant tissue alongside special feeding activities [ 15 , 16 , 17 ] and has been widely used as an advanced technology to examine the feeding behavior of piercing–sucking insects [ 18 ] such as Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) [ 19 ], Toxoptera citricida (Kirkaldy) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) [ 13 ], Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) [ 20 ], and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) [ 21 ]. Life table analysis is widely accepted as a powerful tool for researching the dynamics of insect populations.…”

Adaptability of Toxoptera aurantii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) to Different Tea Cultivars

“…The level of plant resistance can be reflected by the adaptability of insects towards hosts. Previous studies have shown that insects improve their adaptive ability to host plants primarily through their selection behaviour and feeding habits; therefore, elucidating the feeding behaviour of insects is essential for revealing host resistance mechanisms [14,15]. To overcome the defensive traits of plants, phytophagous insects have evolved different types of mouthparts to adapt to complex environments.…”