Multigenerational variation in the nutrients and digestion of western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) depends on the nutritive quality of different foods.

Western flower thrips (WFTs), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), is one of the most serious pests that attack rose flowers. Little is known about the effect of different parts of the rose flower on nutritional contents and digestive enzyme activities in thrips. This study assessed variations in the nutritional contents and digestive enzyme activities in the second-instar larvae and adults WFTs fed on 3 food types (rose petals, rose flowers, and honey solution + kidney bean pods) for multiple generations. The highest contents of soluble sugar (in 10% honey solution + kidney bean pods), amino acid (in rose flowers), and protein (in rose flowers) were observed, respectively. Soluble sugar and protein contents in the second-instar larvae and adults fed on rose petals decreased in the F1 generation but increased in the F2 generation and remained at higher levels until the F7 generation. Feeding of thrips with 3 food types increased the lipid content in the F1 generation, which peaked in the F2 generation and remained high until the F7 generation. In most cases, α-amylase and trypsin activities significantly decreased in the F1 generation after feeding on rose petals and then prominently increased in the F2 generation. In contrast, chymotrypsin activity remarkably increased and peaked in the F1 generation after second-instar larvae thrips fed on rose petals. There were correlations among the contents of 3 nutrient related positively with the activities of α-amylase and trypsin in WFTs second-instar larvae and adults, respectively. Overall, variations in the nutrient properties of the 3 food types caused changes in nutrient contents and digestive enzyme activities in thrips.

Enzymatic activity and development of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in response to exogenous calcium treatments of kidney bean plants.

Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is an agricultural pest threatening various horticultural crops worldwide. Inducing plant resistance is an ecologically beneficial and potentially effective method for controlling F. occidentalis. As an essential nutrient element, exogenous calcium enhances plant-induced resistance. This study investigated the effects of CaCl2 on the secondary metabolites of kidney bean plants and detoxifying and digestive enzymes in F. occidentalis. We found that treatment of plants and treatment time and also the interactions of the 2 factors significantly affected secondary metabolites contents (tannin, flavonoids, total phenol, alkaloid, and lignin) of kidney bean leaves, which indicated that that the effect of treatment of plants on secondary metabolites varied with treatment time. Moreover, when thrips fed on CaCl2-treated plants, the activities of detoxifying enzymes, enzymes glutathione S-transferase and cytochrome P450 substantially increased compared to those in which thrips fed on control plants. However, the activity of carboxylesterase significantly decreased. The detoxifying enzyme genes CL992.contig6, CYP4PN1, and CYP4PJ2 were significantly upregulated at 24 and 48 h. The activities of digestive enzymes (α-amylase, chymotrypsin, and lipase) increased substantially in F. occidentalis. The digestive enzyme gene, FoAMY-1, was significantly upregulated at 24 and 48 h after treatment. The pupation rate and pupal weight of F. occidentalis were significantly reduced. The results indicated that exogenous CaCl2-induced metabolic changes in kidney bean plants and altered the enzymatic activity and development of F. occidentalis that fed upon them.

Spraying calcium chloride helps to enhance the resistance of kidney bean plants to western flower thrips.

BACKGROUND: The western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a significant pest in horticulture and ornamental agriculture. While exogenous calcium (Ca) has been shown to confer plant immune responses against thrips, the detailed mechanisms of this interaction remain to be elucidated for improved thrips management strategies. This study aimed to assess the impact of exogenous Ca on WFT feeding behavior and to explore its role in enhancing the defense mechanisms of kidney bean plants against WFT attacks. We compared WFT feeding preferences and efficiency on kidney bean plants treated with H2O or Ca, and examined whether exogenous Ca improves plant defense responses to thrips attack. RESULTS: WFT exhibited less preference for feeding on Ca-treated plants over H2O-treated ones. The total duration of WFT's long-ingestion probes was significantly reduced on Ca-treated plants, indicating impaired feeding efficiency. Furthermore, WFT infestation activated both jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways in kidney bean plants, and exogenous Ca application led to elevated levels of endogenous Ca2+ and CaM, up-regulation of genes associated with JA and SA pathways (LOX, AOS, PAL, and ß-1,3-glucanase), and increased accumulation of JA, SA, flavonoids, and alkaloids. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that the application of exogenous Ca enhances endogenous Ca2+, JA, and SA signaling pathways in kidney bean plants. This enhancement results in an up-regulation of the biosynthesis of flavonoid and alkaloid, thereby equipping the plants with an enhanced defense against WFT infestation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Different Parts of the Rose Flower on the Development, Fecundity, and Life Parameters of Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is an important horticultural pest that causes serious damage to rose plants, which is one of its preferred foods. In this study, rose petals, rose flowers, and 10% honey solution + kidney bean pods were chosen as foods to assess their influence on the growth, development and fecundity of F. occidentalis. The results showed that developmental time of immature F. occidentalis with the following trend: rose flowers <10% honey solution + kidney bean pods < rose petals < kidney bean pods. The longevities of both female and male adults were lowest when feeding on the rose petals and were highest when feeding on rose flowers. The fecundity was in the following order: rose flowers >10% honey solution + kidney bean pods > rose petals > kidney bean pods. The net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r), and finite rate of increase (λ) of F. occidentalis feeding on rose petals and kidney bean pods were lower than those feeding on rose flowers and 10% honey solution + kidney bean pods. The development, longevity, fecundity, and parameters have significantly changed since F1 generation after feeding with the three food types. The results indicated that different parts of rose flowers had a significant effect on the development of thrips, and nectar and pollen had a positive effect on thrips population increase and reproduction.

Combined Jasmonic Acid and Ethylene Treatment Induces Resistance Effect in Faba Bean Plants Against Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a serious invasive pest in China. In this study, we determined whether exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) treatments could induce resistance against F. occidentalis in faba bean plants. First, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of JA or ET alone on F. occidentalis and then assessed the effects of optimal concentrations of JA and ET combined. Our results showed that the optimal concertation of JA was 2 mmol/L and ET was 0.5 mmol/L. JA + ET mixture showed the greatest inhibitory effect in terms of oviposition and feeding. JA with ET was found to induce changes in the activities of lipoxygenase (LOX), allene oxide synthase (AOS), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS), and trypsin inhibitor (TI). This treatment also activated or inhibited the relative expression levels of LOX1, ACO2, ACS2, and AP2/ERF. Treatment of faba bean plants with JA and ET significantly prolonged F. occidentalis development and adult preoviposition period, significantly reduced per-female oviposition, and altered male longevity and offspring demographic parameters. These results indicate that JA with ET can induce defenses against the growth and development of F. occidentalis in faba bean plants.

Copper Chaperone for Superoxide Dismutase FoCCS1 in Frankliniella occidentalis May Be Associated with Feeding Adaptation after Host Shifting.

Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) pose a serious threat to the global vegetable and flower crop production. The regulatory mechanism for superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the feeding adaptation of F. occidentalis after host shifting remains unclear. In this study, the copper chaperone for SOD (CCS) and manganese SOD (MnSOD) genes in F. occidentalis were cloned, and their expression levels at different developmental stages was determined. The mRNA expression of FoCCS1 and FoMnSOD2 in F. occidentalis second-instar larvae and adult females of F1, F2, and F3 generations was analyzed after shifting the thrips to kidney bean and broad bean plants, respectively. The F2 and F3 second-instar larvae and F2 adult females showed significantly upregulated FoCCS1 mRNA expression after shifting to kidney bean plants. The F1 second-instar larvae and F2 adult females showed significantly upregulated FoCCS1 mRNA expression after shifting to broad bean plants. The RNA interference significantly downregulated the FoCCS1 mRNA expression levels and adult females showed significantly inhibited SOD activity after shifting to kidney bean and broad bean plants. F. occidentalis adult females subjected to RNA interference and released on kidney bean and broad bean leaves for rearing, respectively, significantly reduced the survival rate and fecundity. These findings suggest that FoCCS1 plays an active role in regulating the feeding adaptation ability of F. occidentalis after host shifting.

Response of Protective Enzymes in Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) to Two Leguminous Plants.

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a major invasive pest of commercially important crops worldwide. We compared the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) and the expressions of two putative SOD and two putative POD sequences in second instar larvae and adults after three generations of adaptation to kidney bean and broad bean plants. The results showed that the SOD, POD, and CAT activities in adults were significantly higher than those in the second instar larvae. The SOD activities were significantly higher in both the second instar larvae and the adults fed on kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) plants versus broad bean (Vicia faba) plants, whereas the POD and CAT activities showed the opposite trend. The gene expression data showed that the FoPOD-2 expression levels were lower in the second instar larvae after three generations of feeding on broad bean plants versus kidney bean plants. The expression levels of FoSOD-1 and FoSOD-2, and FoPOD-1 under broad bean plant treatment were higher than those under kidney bean plant treatment. Additionally, gene expression fluctuated among the different generations. Our results indicated that western flower thrips demonstrated plasticity in gene expression and activity of protective enzymes, which is related to their adaptability to the host plants. Western flower thrips can change the expression of protective enzyme genes and enzyme activity in vivo to better adapt to kidney bean and broad bean plants.

Lecanicilliumcauligalbarum sp. nov. (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), a novel fungus isolated from a stemborer in the Yao Ren National Forest Mountain Park, Guizhou.

A new species of entomopathogenic fungi, Lecanicilliumcauligalbarum, was discovered from a survey of invertebrate-associated fungi in the Yao Ren National Forest Mountain Park in China. The synnemata of this species emerged from the corpse of a stemborer (Lepidoptera), which was hidden amongst pieces of wood on the forest floor. It differs from morphologically similar Lecanicillium species mainly in its short conidiogenous cells and ellipsoid to ovoid and aseptate conidia. Phylogenetic analysis of a combined data set comprising ITS, SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1 and RPB2 sequence data supported the inclusion of L.cauligalbarum in the Lecanicillium genus and its recognition as a distinct species.