Drought as a modulator of plant–virus–vector interactions: Effects on symptom expression, plant immunity and vector behaviour. (13th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vasquez, Diego F.; Hernandez, Anngie; Torres, Diana; Borrero‐Echeverry, Felipe; Zuluaga, Paola; Rincon, Diego F.
• Is Part Of: Plant pathology. Volume 71:Number 6(2022)
• Page Start: 1282
• Page End: 1292
• Publication Date: 2022-03-13
• Subjects: drought‐induced susceptibility -- potato -- PYVV -- salicylic acid response -- transmission -- Trialeurodes vaporariorum; Agricultural pests -- Periodicals; Plant diseases -- Periodicals; 632
• DOI: 10.1111/ppa.13554
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-0862

Abstract

Abstract: Plant–virus interactions are affected by environmental conditions that determine plant vulnerability to pathogens and the population dynamics of insect vectors. We hypothesize that drought enhances horizontal transmission by dampening the basal immunity of plants, which triggers symptom expression and vector manipulation. The potato yellow vein virus (PYVV) causes potato yellow vein disease (PYVD), a re‐emerging epidemic of potato crops in South America, and is transmitted horizontally by the greenhouse whitefly (GWF), Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), or vertically through infected seed tubers. We investigated the role of drought and temperature as modulators of PYVD symptom expression, plant immune response, and vector survival, development and host preference. We found that drought induced symptom expression, suppressed the salicylic acid pathway and increased PYVV replication. GWF survival was reduced on PYVV‐infected hosts and development was slowest when they fed on plants with PYVD symptoms, which also triggered adults' attraction to PYVV‐infected plants. However, adults previously fed on infected plants showed the opposite effect, being more attracted to PYVV‐free plants. We propose a theoretical model that explains the role of drought in modulating potato–PYVV–GWF interactions and provides new insights into plant–virus–vector coevolution. Abstract : Drought episodes may drive viral epidemics by modulating plant defence response, disease symptom expression and vector behaviour and population dynamics.