AUTHOR=Liu Xin , Chen Gong , Zhang Youjun , Xie Wen , Wu Qingjun , Wang Shaoli 

TITLE=Virus-Infected Plants Altered the Host Selection of Encarsia formosa, a Parasitoid of Whiteflies

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00937

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2017.00937

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The sweetpotato whitefly <italic>Bemisia tabaci</italic> (Gennadius) is one of the most invasive pest species worldwide. Q and B biotypes are the two most devastating species within the <italic>B. tabaci</italic> complex. <italic>Bemisia tabaci</italic> can vector hundreds of plant viruses that seriously threaten crop production. Endoparasitoid, <italic>Encarsia formosa</italic> Gahan, is widely used to control whiteflies, however, little is known about the effects of virus-infected plants on <italic>E. formosa</italic> parasitism of <italic>B. tabaci</italic>. Here, we reported that tomato, which was infected with <italic>Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus</italic> (TYLCV), altered the host selection of <italic>E. formosa</italic> between <italic>B. tabaci</italic> Q and B biotypes. On healthy tomato plants, parasitism and host selection by <italic>E. formosa</italic> did not differ between the 3rd-instar nymphs of <italic>B. tabaci</italic> Q and B biotypes. On TYLCV-infected tomato plants, however, <italic>B. tabaci</italic> Q biotype were significantly more attractive to <italic>E. formosa</italic> than B biotype. When TYLCV-infected tomato plants were infested with <italic>B. tabaci</italic> Q or B biotype, volatile profiles differed quantitatively but not qualitatively. Olfactometer assays suggested that the preference of <italic>E. formosa</italic> to Q over B biotype was associated with an elevated level of β-Myrcene, β-Ocimene, β-Caryophyllene, and α-Humulene from TYLCV-infected tomato plants.</p>