Powdery Mildew Fungus <i>Oidium lycopersici</i> Infected-Tomato Plants Attracts the Non-Vector Greenhouse Whitefly, <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i>, but Seems Impair Their Development
Muhammad Qasim,
Komivi Senyo Akutse,
Dilbar Hussain,
Omar Mahmoud Al-Zoubi,
Tariq Mustafa,
Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila,
Saad Alamri,
Mohamed Hashem,
Liande Wang
Affiliations
Muhammad Qasim
Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Biochemistry, MOE, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Komivi Senyo Akutse
Plant Health Theme, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Dilbar Hussain
Entomological Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad 38850, Pakistan
Omar Mahmoud Al-Zoubi
Department of Biology, Facility of Science in Yanbu, Taibah University, Yanbu Al-Bahr 46423, Saudi Arabia
Tariq Mustafa
Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub-Campus Deplapur, Okara 56300, Pakistan
Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Saad Alamri
Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Hashem
Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
Liande Wang
Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Biochemistry, MOE, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
The mechanism underlying the mediation of the behavior and fitness of non-vector herbivores by fungal pathogen-infected host plants is still unclear. In this study, we experimentally assessed the effects of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant infection status on non-vector herbivores using tomato powdery mildew disease fungus (Oidium lycopersici) and the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum as a model multitrophic plant-pathogen, non-vector herbivore interaction. In behavioral bioassays, powdery mildew-infected plants (PM) and plants damaged by combined attack of powdery mildew and whiteflies (PMWF) attracted significantly more whiteflies (32.6% and 58.1% for PM and PMWF, respectively) than control (Con) plants (16.5%) or plants damaged only by whiteflies (WF) (24.2%). Whiteflies feeding on PM or PMWF plants secreted almost twice as much honeydew as on the Con or WF plants. This indicated that whiteflies fed more on diseased plants than healthy plants. However, the preferences and increased feeding did not increase the fitness and immature growth of T. vaporariorum, but significantly prolonged their immature developmental durations, compared with those of whiteflies that developed on Con plants or WF plants. The results showed that powdery mildew infestation attracted more whiteflies but reduced their development and fitness.
