Levels of the endosymbiont Rickettsia in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci are influenced by the expression of vitellogenin.

Bacterial endosymbionts play essential roles in the biology of their arthropod hosts by interacting with internal factors in the host. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a worldwide agricultural pest and a supervector for more than 100 plant viruses. Like many other arthropods, Be. tabaci harbours a primary endosymbiont, Porteira aleyrodidarum, and an array of secondary endosymbionts that coexist with Portiera inside bacteriocyte cells. Unlike all of the other secondary symbionts that infect Be. tabaci, Rickettsia has been shown to be an exception by infecting insect organs and not colocalizing with Portiera, and has been shown to significantly impact the insect biology and its interactions with the environment. Little is known about the molecular interactions that underlie insect-symbiont interactions in general, and particularly Be. tabaci-Rickettsia interactions. Here we performed transcriptomic analysis and identified vitellogenin as an important protein that influences the levels of Rickettsia in Be. tabaci. Vitellogenin expression levels were lower in whole insects, but higher in midguts of Rickettsia-infected insects. Immunocapture-PCR assay showed interaction between vitellogenin and Rickettsia, whereas silencing of vitellogenin resulted in nearly complete disappearance of Rickettsia from midguts. Altogether, these results suggest that vitellogenin plays an important role in influencing the levels of Rickettsia in Be. tabaci.

'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' Is Tightly Associated with Carrot Yellows Symptoms in Israel and Transmitted by the Prevalent Psyllid Vector Bactericera trigonica.

Carrot yellows disease has been associated for many years with the Gram-positive, insect-vectored bacteria, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma' and Spiroplasma citri. However, reports in the last decade also link carrot yellows symptoms with a different, Gram-negative, insect-vectored bacterium, 'Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum'. Our study shows that to date 'Ca. L. solanacearum' is tightly associated with carrot yellows symptoms across Israel. The genetic variant found in Israel is most similar to haplotype D, found around the Mediterranean Basin. We further show that the psyllid vector of 'Ca. L. solanacearum', Bactericera trigonica, is highly abundant in Israel and is an efficient vector for this pathogen. A survey conducted comparing conventional and organic carrot fields showed a marked reduction in psyllid numbers and disease incidence in the field practicing chemical control. Fluorescent in situ hybridization and scanning electron microscopy analyses further support the association of 'Ca. L. solanacearum' with disease symptoms and show that the pathogen is located in phloem sieve elements. Seed transmission experiments revealed that while approximately 30% of the tested carrot seed lots are positive for 'Ca. L. solanacearum', disease transmission was not observed. Possible scenarios that may have led to the change in association of the disease etiological agent with carrot yellows are discussed. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

DNA markers for identifying biotypes B and Q of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and studying population dynamics.

The two most widespread biotypes of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in southern Europe and the Middle East are referred to as the B and Q-type, which are morphologically indistinguishable. In this study various DNA markers have been developed, applied and compared for studying genetic diversity and distribution of the two biotypes. For developing sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) techniques, single random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments of B and Q biotypes, respectively, were used. The CAPS were investigated on the basis of nuclear sodium channel and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I genes (mtCOI) sequences. In general, complete agreement was found between the different markers used. Analysis of field samples collected in Israel for several years, using these markers, indicated that the percentage of the Q biotype tends to increase in field populations as time progresses. This may be attributed to the resistance of the Q biotype to neonicotinoids and pyriproxyfen and the susceptibility of the B biotype to these insecticides.

Biorational agents--mechanism and importance in IPM and IRM programs for controlling agricultural pests.

Among the new approaches for controlling agricultural pests is the development of novel compounds affecting specific processes in insects such as chitin synthesis inhibitors, juvenile hormone mimics and ecdysone agonists. In addition, efforts have been made to develop compounds acting selectively on groups of insects by inhibiting or enhancing biochemical sites such as respiration (diafenthiuron), the nicotinyl acetylcholine receptors (imidacloprid and acetamiprid), the GABA receptors (avermectins), the salivary glands of sucking pests (pymetrozine) and others. Among the most recent novel insecticides with selective properties are novaluron, thiamethoxam, emamectin and spinosad. Novaluron (Rimon) is a novel chitin synthesis inhibitor that acts by both ingestion and contact. It is a powerful suppressor of lepidopteran larvae such as Spodoptera littoralis and Helicoverpa armigera (by ingestion) and of whiteflies such as Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (by contact). Thiamethoxam (Actarn), a novel neonicotinoid acts specifically on aphids and whiteflies. Emamectin (Proclaim), an avermectin derivative acts on GABA receptor affecting diversity of insects such as mites, lepidopterans and thrips. Spinosad (Tracer) seems to act on both acetylcholine and GABA receptors affecting diversity of insect species and is considered an important agent for controlling the western flower thrips.