| Title: | "Phytoene desaturase-silenced citrus as a trap crop with multiple cues to attract Diaphorina citri, the vector of Huanglongbing" |
| Author(s): | Killiny N; Nehela Y; George J; Rashidi M; Stelinski LL; Lapointe SL; |
| Address: | "Department of Plant Pathology, Citrus Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA. Electronic address: nabilkilliny@ufl.edu. Department of Plant Pathology, Citrus Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA; Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, 31512 Tanta, Egypt. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL, 34945, USA; United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 141 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA. Department of Plant Pathology, Citrus Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA. Department of Entomology and Nematology, Citrus Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, USA. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2001 South Rock Road, Fort Pierce, FL, 34945, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.110930 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-2259 (Electronic) 0168-9452 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases in citrus worldwide. Unfortunately, HLB has no cure and management relies on insecticides to reduce populations of the vector, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae). We propose an attract-and-kill strategy using a trap crop as an alternative to vector control to reduce transmission of the pathogen, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'. We evaluated vector response to phytoene desaturase-silenced citrus trees using virus-induced gene silencing technology. Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) was used to produce a phytoene desaturase-silenced citrus (CTV-tPDS) that expresses visual, olfactory, and gustatory cues to attract D. citri. We found that D. citri were more attracted to CTV-tPDS plants with noticeably better fecundity and overall population fitness than on control plants. Moreover, rearing D. citri on CTV-tPDS plants significantly increased their survival probability compared with those reared on control plants. CTV-tPDS plants possessed reduced content of both carotenoid and chlorophyll pigments resulting in a consistent photobleached phenotype on citrus leaves which provided a sufficient close-range visual attractant to stimulate D. citri landing. Additionally, CTV-tPDS plants exhibited an enriched profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which offered adequate olfactory cues to attract psyllid from long-range. Finally, CTV-tPDS plants exhibited an enriched metabolite content of phloem sap and leaves which offered appropriate gustatory cues that influenced probing/feeding behavior. We believe that introducing CTV-tPDS plants (as a trap crop) to D. citri-infested orchards will attract and congregate psyllids to facilitate their removal from the target crop with insecticides or by other means. This new strategy could be deployed relatively quickly and economically to HLB-impacted citrus industries. Moreover, it is an eco-friendly strategy because it should partially reduce the input of chemical insecticides ameliorating the indirect cost of HLB infection" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Arthropod Vectors/*physiology Citrus/genetics/*physiology *Gene Silencing Hemiptera/*physiology Insect Control Oxidoreductases/*genetics/metabolism Pest Control, Biological Plant Diseases/*prevention & control Plant Proteins/*genetics/metabolism A;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineKilliny, Nabil Nehela, Yasser George, Justin Rashidi, Mahnaz Stelinski, Lukasz L Lapointe, Stephen L eng Ireland 2021/05/27 Plant Sci. 2021 Jul; 308:110930. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.110930. Epub 2021 Apr 29" |
