Ebert Timothy A
Department of Entomology and Nematology, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, IFAS, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA.
Insects. 2019 Jul 19;10(7):212. doi: 10.3390/insects10070212.
Insects can be effective vectors of plant diseases and this may result in billions of dollars in lost agricultural productivity. New, emerging or introduced diseases will continue to cause extensive damage in afflicted areas. Understanding how the vector acquires the pathogen and inoculates new hosts is critical in developing effective management strategies. Management may be an insecticide applied to kill the vector or a host plant resistance mechanism to make the host plant less suitable for the vector. In either case, the tactic must act before the insect performs the key behavior(s) resulting in either acquisition or transmission. This requires knowledge of the timing of behaviors the insect uses to probe the plant and commence ingestion. These behaviors are visualized using electropenetrography (EPG), wherein the plant and insect become part of an electrical circuit. With the tools to define specific steps in the probing process, we can understand the timing of acquisition and inoculation. With that understanding comes the potential for more relevant testing of management strategies, through insecticides or host plant resistance. The primary example will be Liberibacter asiaticus transmitted by Kuwayama in the citrus agroecosystem, with additional examples used as appropriate.
昆虫可能是植物病害的有效传播媒介，这可能导致农业生产力损失数十亿美元。新出现的或传入的病害将继续在受灾地区造成广泛破坏。了解传播媒介如何获取病原体并接种新宿主对于制定有效的管理策略至关重要。管理措施可能是使用杀虫剂杀死传播媒介，或者是利用宿主植物的抗性机制使宿主植物对传播媒介不那么适宜。无论哪种情况，策略都必须在昆虫执行导致获取或传播病原体的关键行为之前发挥作用。这需要了解昆虫用于探测植物并开始取食的行为发生时间。这些行为通过电穿透图（EPG）进行可视化，其中植物和昆虫成为电路的一部分。有了定义探测过程中特定步骤的工具，我们就能了解获取和接种病原体的时间。有了这种了解，就有可能通过杀虫剂或宿主植物抗性对管理策略进行更相关的测试。主要例子将是亚洲韧皮杆菌由桑氏粉虱在柑橘农业生态系统中传播，视情况使用其他例子。
