Direct Exposure of Wheat Seeds to High-Voltage Electrostatic Fields Adversely Affects the Performance ofSitobion avenae(Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract

Exposing seeds to a high-voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) may influence the performance of herbivores and improve the germination rate by inducing biological and physiological changes in plants. In the current study, an age-stage, two-sex life table was established to evaluate the effects from directly exposing seeds to HVEFs on the performance of apterous Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) reared on winter wheat. We treated the wheat seeds by exposing them to an HVEF for 20 min at three intensities: 2, 4, or 6 KV/cm. Controls received no treatment (0 KV/cm). The results indicated that the parameters of the net reproductive rate (R0), the intrinsic rate of increase (r), and the mean generation span (T) of S. avenae were significantly reduced by HVEFs through multiple generations. In addition, the age-specific survival rate (lx) and comparison with the results of a Weibull equation analysis suggested that S. avenae had the shortest life span when seeds were exposed to an HVEF at 4 KV/cm. Overall, these findings indicated that direct exposure of wheat seeds to an HVEF at 4 KV/cm could adversely affect the performance of S. avenae.

Functional validation of DvABCB1 as a receptor of Cry3 toxins in western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

“…Moreover, our study demonstrates that DvABCB1 is not a functional receptor for IPD072Aa, a new WCR-active toxin, corroborating its lack of cross-resistance in a mCry3A resistant strain of WCR 47 . Finally, reduced expression and alternative splicing of DvABCB1 transcripts were identified in mCry3A resistant WCR explaining the reduced binding of mCry3A that was previously reported 21 .…”

“…A clear understanding of the receptors that are involved in the mode of action of Cry3 toxins can facilitate the development of new technologies for WCR management and provide potential markers for resistance monitoring. Biochemical characterization of a laboratory-selected mCry3A resistant WCR strain revealed reduced binding of mCry3A and the Cry3Aa-like toxin, IP3-H9 19 , 20 to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from isolated WCR midguts 21 . A cadherin-like protein was originally identified as a Bt receptor in the lepidopteran Heliothis virescens 22 .…”

High‐voltage electrostatic field‐induced oxidative stress: Characterization of the physiological effects in Sitobion avenae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) across multiple generations

“…Our experiments revealed that since the 6th generation, direct HVEF exposure and seed exposure to HVEF resulted in reduced inhibitory effects on anti‐oxidative enzymes. This finding suggests that S. avenae obtained resistance from the plants or adapted over time to the novel HVEF environment [Li et al, ; Luo et al, ]. In all HVEF treatments, SOD activity was significantly increased in the 6th, 11th, 16th, and 21st generations, and CAT and POD activities had slight increases in these generations relative to the levels in the 2nd generation.…”

“…Accordingly, S. avenae exhibited a clear avoidance of some effects after exposure to a HVEF at 6 kV/cm for 20 min. Moreover, our previous results revealed that the direct exposure of wheat seeds or this aphid to an HVEF at 6 kV/cm for 20 min did not adversely affect the anti‐oxidative enzymes and performance of S. avenae [Cao et al, ; Li et al, ; Luo et al, ].…”

“…Our previous results showed that direct exposure of S. avenae to a HVEF over 30 consecutive generations significantly increased the aphid's development time and reduced its total longevity [He et al, ]. Furthermore, when feeding on wheat seedlings that developed from seeds that were directly exposed to an HVEF, the growth and fecundity of S. avenae were adversely affected across multiple generations [Luo et al, ]. However, the physiological effects of direct HVEF exposure to herbivore nymphs and crop seeds on herbivores remain underexplored.…”