This study reveals new insights into tissue-specific expression of the psyllid organs in the absence or presence of CLso bacterium in tomatoes and potatoes. This knowledge can be leveraged to develop new pest and disease management strategies by delineating the regulatory networks involved in the psyllid-CLso interaction.
The tomato-potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae), is an important insect pest among several vegetable crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants. The growing prevalence and spread of B. cockerelli in several American and Oceanian countries, especially in the face of global climate changes, is concerning. B. cockerelli transmits Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), the presumptive causal agent of potato zebra chip and tomato vein greening diseases.
This insect feeds on the phloem tissues of plants to obtain nutrients and essential amino acids. Not only the host plants are adversely damaged by feeding-associated injury and nutrient depletion, but the transmission of CLso bacterium during feeding further aggravates plant health by inducing various disease symptoms, including chlorosis, necrosis, upward leaf curing, and stunting.
The interactions and relationship between the psyllid and bacterium have yet to be fully understood. A mutually beneficial relationship between the psyllid and certain species of endosymbiont bacteria, including Wolbachia and Sodalis species, has been reported. In one scenario, CLso could exist in the psyllid under a symbiotic relationship. In this context, CLso may gain nutrition from the psyllid, while the bacteria may offer psyllids protection from their natural predators, host plant defenses, insecticides, and/or other environmental hazards.
Read the full research at: Frontiers