Xiang-Shun Hu

Life Table Evaluation of Survival and Reproduction of the Aphid, Sitobion avenae, Exposed to Cadmium

Abstract The effects of cadmium (Cd) on the development, fecundity, and reproduction of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Hemiptera: Aphididae) were estimated by constructing a life table of S. avenae exposed to Cd. The concentrations of Cd in the soil were as follows: 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg. The correlation analysis of the Cd concentration in soil and wheat revealed that the amount in the wheat increased with the increase of Cd concentrations in soil. The results indicated that, the latter part of the reproduction period was significantly affected by Cd, according to the curve of the total survival rate (lx ). The net reproductive rate (R 0), innate capacity of increase (r), and finite rate of increase (&lgr;) of S. avenae all decreased under the stress of Cd, and were lowest at a Cd concentration of 20 mg/kg. Cd also negatively affected fecundity and mx (the number of offspring produced by an individual female). At 20 mg/kg, the decline of them was most obvious. In conclusion, survival and reproduction of S. avenae were inhibited under the treatment of the heavy metal Cd. Sitobion avenae was more sensitive to Cd at concentration of 20 mg/kg compared to the other concentrations. This concentration can be used to examine the mechanisms behind population genetics and biological mutation of S. avenae when exposed to heavy metal.

Tripartite Interactions of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, Sitobion avenae and Wheat Varieties

The tripartite interactions in a pathosystem involving wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), and the BYDV vector aphid Sitobion avenae were studied under field conditions to determine the impact of these interactions on aphid populations, virus pathology and grain yield. Wheat varietal resistance to BYDV and aphids varied among the three wheat varieties studied over two consecutive years. The results demonstrated that (1) aphid peak number (APN) in the aphid + BYDV (viruliferous aphid) treatment was greater and occurred earlier than that in the non-viruliferous aphid treatment. The APN and the area under the curve of population dynamics (AUC) on a S. avenae-resistant variety 98-10-30 was significantly lower than on two aphid-susceptible varieties Tam200(13)G and Xiaoyan6. (2) The production of alatae (PA) was greater on the variety 98-10-30 than on the other varieties, and PA was greater in the aphid + BYDV treatment on 98-10-30 than in the non-viruliferous aphid treatment, but this trend was reversed on Tam200(13)G and Xiaoyan6. (3) The BYDV disease incidence (DIC) on the variety 98-10-30 was greater than that on the other two varieties in 2012, and the disease index (DID) on Tam200(13)G was lower than on the other varieties in the aphid + BYDV and BYDV treatments in 2012, but not in 2011 when aphid vector numbers were generally lower. (4) Yield loss in the aphid + BYDV treatment tended to be greater than that in the aphid or BYDV alone treatments across varieties and years. We suggested that aphid population development and BYDV transmission tend to promote each other under field conditions. The aphids + BYDV treatment caused greater yield reductions than non-viruliferous aphids or virus treatment. Wheat varietal resistance in 98-10-30 affects the aphid dispersal, virus transmission and wheat yield loss though inhibits aphid populations from increasing.

The resistance and correlation analysis to three species of cereal aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on 10 wheat varieties or lines.

ABSTRACT Winter wheat resistance is an efficient and environmentally friendly means to controlling aphids. By using principal component analysis and correlation analysis, we evaluated the resistance of 10 winter wheat varieties or lines from three countries to the following three aphid species: Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, and Schizaphis graminum. The data show that Batis was susceptible to Si. avenae and R. padi, but had adverse effect on the development of Sc. graminum; Astron was advantageous to WG and rm of Si. avenae and R. padi, but not to Sc. graminum; Amigo was resistant to Sc. graminum and R. padi, but susceptible to Si. avenae; 98–10–35 was resistant to Si. avenae and R. padi, but not to Sc. graminum; 98–10–30 was adverse to growth and fecundity of Si. avenae, but better for Sc. graminum and R. padi; Xiaoyan22 was susceptible to Sc. graminum, but not to R. padi; Ww2730 were resistant to Si. avenae, but susceptible to Sc. graminum; 186tm was susceptible to R. padi, but caused high mortality for Si. avenae and Sc. graminum. Correlation analysis suggests the wheat varieties or lines that were resistant to Si. avenae were always resistant to R. padi, but susceptible to Sc. graminum. However, the overall similarities in resistance classifications were not because of the same phenotypic characters of the wheat varieties or lines. We conclude that the wheat varieties or lines had specific different resistances to the three aphid species, and the resistant traits (antibiosis) can be defined at two or more hierarchical levels. There was even a stronger “trade-off” for the comparison of Si. avenae versus Sc. graminum and R. padi versus Sc. graminum.

Temperature-Mediated Effects of Host Alternation on the Adaptation of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

ABSTRACT Local adaptation, an important phenomenon in ecological speciation, occurs in Myzus persicae (Sulzer), with the tobacco-adapted line proposed as a subspecies. Recent studies showed that temperature could alter the selection strength and direction in host—herbivore interactions. To understand the formation of host-adapted speciation and the effects of temperature on host adaptation, the parthenogenetic progeny of an M. persicae egg were conditioned on two hosts for >10 generations. Then, their life table parameters were studied after reciprocal transfer under a temperature gradient. The results showed that aphids habituated on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and rape (Brassica napus L.) had different optimal temperatures, including different upper thresholds of development and reproduction on original and alternative hosts. After habituation for >10 generations, local adaptation of aphids on the host of origin was formed, which was observed as the better performance of the native aphids compared with the foreign ones. The M. persicae that habituated on rape appeared more generalized to the host plants than the aphids that habituated on tobacco. The adaptation patterns of green peach aphids on two hosts varied differentially according to temperature, which verified the temperature-mediated effects of host selection on herbivores, implying the presence of a demographic basis of aphid seasonal migration.

Testing the fecundity advantage hypothesis with Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, and Schizaphis graminum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) feeding on ten wheat accessions

The fecundity advantage hypothesis suggests that females with a large body size produce more offspring than smaller females. We tested this hypothesis by exploring the correlations between life-history traits of three aphid species feeding on ten wheat accessions at three levels of analysis with respect to the host plant: overall, inter-accession, and intra-accession. We found that fecundity was significantly correlated with mean relative growth rate (MRGR), weight gain, and development time, and that the faster aphid develops the greater body and fecundity, depending on aphid species, wheat accession, and analyses level. Larger aphids of all three species produced more offspring overall; this held true for Sitobion avenae and Schizaphis graminum at the inter-accession level, and for S. avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, and S. graminum for three, five, and eight accessions respectively at the intra-accession level. Only one correlation, between intrinsic rates of natural increase (rm) and MRGR, was significant for all aphid species at all three analysis levels. A more accurate statement of the fecundity advantage hypothesis is that cereal aphids with greater MRGR generally maintain higher rm on wheat. Our results also provide a method for exploring relationships between individual life-history traits and population dynamics for insects on host plants.

Resistance of Wheat Accessions to the English Grain Aphid Sitobion avenae

The English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae, is a major pest species of wheat crops; however, certain varieties may have stronger resistance to infestation than others. Here, we investigated 3 classical resistance mechanisms (antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance) by 14 wheat varieties/lines to S. avenae under laboratory and field conditions. Under laboratory conditions, alatae given the choice between 2 wheat varieties, strongly discriminated against certain varieties. Specifically, the ‘Amigo’ variety had the lowest palatability to S. avenae alatae of all varieties. ‘Tm’ (Triticum monococcum), ‘Astron,’ ‘Xanthus,’ ‘Ww2730,’ and ‘Batis’ varieties also had lower palatability than other varieties. Thus, these accessions may use antibiosis as the resistant mechanism. In contrast, under field conditions, there were no significant differences in the number of alatae detected on the 14 wheat varieties. One synthetic line (98-10-30, a cross between of Triticum aestivum (var. Chris) and Triticum turgidum (var. durum) hybridization) had low aphid numbers but high yield loss, indicating that it has high antibiosis, but poor tolerance. In comparison, ‘Amigo,’ ‘Xiaoyan22,’ and some ‘186Tm’ samples had high aphid numbers but low yield loss rates, indicating they have low antibiosis, but good tolerance. Aphid population size and wheat yield loss rates greatly varied in different fields and years for ‘98-10-35,’ ‘Xiaoyan22,’ ‘Tp,’ ‘Tam200,’ ‘PI high,’ and other ‘186Tm’ samples, which were hybrid offspring of T. aestivum and wheat related species. Thus, these germplasm should be considered for use in future studies. Overall, S. avenae is best adapted to ‘Xinong1376,’ because it was the most palatable variety, with the greatest yield loss rates of all 14 wheat varieties. However, individual varieties/lines influenced aphid populations differently in different years. Therefore, we strongly recommend a combination of laboratory and long-term field experiments in targeted planting regions to identify varieties/lines that consistently show high resistance to S. avenae infestation.

Previous infestation with Psammotettix alienus on spring wheat seedlings decreased the fitness of Sitobion avenae in a subsequent infestation

Previous feeding by herbivores may influence the performance of other herbivores by altering the morphological and physiological properties of the shared host. The present study aimed to examine the fitness of the apterous aphid Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) when fed spring wheat that was previously attacked by the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus Dahlbom (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), with an evaluation of the differences in aphid weight (WD), development time (D), mean relative growth rate (MRGR), daily production of nymphs (MDNP) and intrinsic rate of population increase (rm) under controlled greenhouse conditions. For the S. avenae reared on the two spring wheat cultivars that were previously infested with P. alienus, the WD and the MRGR decreased significantly. The S. avenae reared on the previously infested cv. Leguan had significantly prolonged D values and a lowered rm, whereas these parameters did not differ significantly when S. avenae was reared on the cv. Bobwhite. Overall, the fitness of the aphid S. avenae was adversely affected when reared on the two spring wheat cultivars that were previously infested with P. alienus.

Maternal effects of the English grain aphids feeding on the wheat varieties with different resistance traits

The maternal effects of the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae on offspring phenotypes and performance on wheat varieties with different resistance traits were examined. We found that both conditioning wheat varieties(the host plant for over 3 months) and transition wheat varieties affected the biological parameters of aphid offspring after they were transferred between wheat varieties with different resistance traits. The conditioning varieties affected weight gain, development time (DT), and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm), whereas transition varieties affected the fecundity, rm, net reproductive rate, and fitness index. The conditioning and transition wheat varieties had significant interaction effects on the aphid offspring’s DT, mean relative growth rate, and fecundity. Our results showed that there was obvious maternal effects on offspring when S. avenae transferred bwteen wheat varieties with different resistance level, and the resistance traits of wheat varieties could induce an interaction between the conditioning and transition wheat varieties to influence the growth, development, reproduction, and even population dynamics of S. avenae. The conditioning varieties affected life-history traits related to individual growth and development to a greater extent, whereas transition varieties affected fecundity and population parameters more.

Biological and Morphological Features Associated with English Grain Aphid and Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid Tolerance in Winter Wheat Line XN98-10-35

The English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are two common herbivore pests that have devastating effects on wheat production worldwide. To tolerate herbivores, plants coevolved various biological and morphological features. The present study focused on the characterization of the S. avenae- and R. padi-tolerant features in the winter wheat line XN98-10-35 under field conditions. The yield loss experiment revealed that XN98-10-35 presented strong tolerance to S. avenae and R. padi feeding, as we observed a small 100-kernel weight decrease induced by S. avenae and R. padi. Examination of the ultrastructure of the flag leaves revealed that XN98-10-35 exhibited a greater number of stomata and a larger stomata size than the controls. In comparative gene expression profiling tests, the expression levels of the candidate genes SaEST1 and SaEST2, which are putative photosystem I assembly protein Ycf3 and vegetative cell wall gp1-like protein, were up-regulated several-fold in the flag leaves of XN98-10-35. Additionally, genes associated with sucrose synthase and starch synthase were up-regulated in the flag leaves of XN98-10-35. These findings increase our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying tolerance to S. avenae and R. padi infestations in XN98-10-35 and will allow rapid breeding of tolerant cultivars.

Resistance of Seven Cabbage Cultivars to Green Peach Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Abstract The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important pest of many crops in the world and a vector of more than 100 plant viruses. It is a major pest of Brassicavegetables such as Chinese cabbage in northern China. Chemical control is extensively used to manage this aphid around the world; however, development of insecticide resistance has been a major obstacle facing growers. Host plant resistance in Chinese cabbage against M. persicae has not been reported yet. In this study, we investigated the resistance categories in seven Chinese cabbage cultivars against M. persicae.The resistance categories of these cultivars included antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance related to leaf color and wax content.The cultivar ‘Yuanbao’ had antibiotic and tolerance effects on the aphid.The rate of intrinsic increase (rm) of M. persicae was lower on Yuanbao compared with the other six cultivars. Yuanbao also had the highest antibiosis against the aphid.The aphid preferred ‘Qingan 80’, which had the highest wavelength (green) in leaf color.The highest wax content was found in Yuanbao, which had a significantly negative correlation with the preference of M. persicae.The cabbage cultivar Yuanbao was resistant to M. persicae and could be used in the development of integrated pest management (IPM) programs against the aphid in the field.