Identification and selection of resistance to Bemisia tabaci among 550 cotton genotypes in the field and greenhouse experiments

Abstract

Plants have developed sophisticated systems to cope with herbivore challenge, including morphological barriers and secondary metabolites to reduce damage. In this study, 550 Gossypium genotypes were evaluated for whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) resistance in five experiments including two in the field and three in the greenhouse, with 23 resistant and 19 susceptible genotypes selected. Whitefly-resistance index determination showed that a leaf having a high density of hairs had resistance to whitfly egg/nymph production. Longer leaf hairs were also important for resistance. This study revealed that okra shaped leaves reduced adult whitefly oviposition preference, while glabrous leaves and high hair density helped not only in the reduction of the adults but also decreased oviposition preference. Gossypol was also observed to be involved in the reduction of adult whitefly development and/or survival.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Cotton miRNAs During Whitefly Infestation Offers New Insights into Plant-Herbivore Interaction

“…Recently, Shukla et al (2016) identified a candidate protein from edible fern ( T. macrodonta ) that was toxic to whitefly [6]. Zhu et al previously assessed the susceptibility of 400 elite cotton lines to whitefly infestation and identified 42 lines between resistance and the susceptibility spectrum [7].…”

Plant resistance against whitefly and its engineering

“…Field trials on cotton cultivars, for example, showed higher whitefly population density on cotton plants with higher trichome density, indicating a negative correlation between trichome density and whitefly resistance ( Zia et al., 2011 ; Prado et al., 2016 ; Siddiqui et al., 2021 ; Suthar et al., 2022 ). However, positive correlations between overall trichome density and whitefly resistance in cotton have also been reported ( Thomas et al., 2014 ; Zhu et al., 2018 ). Similar variations have been observed in studies on soybean ( McAuslane, 1996 ; Baldin et al., 2017 ).…”

Identification of cassava germplasms resistant to two-spotted spider mite in China: From greenhouse large-scale screening to field validation

“…By contrast, fewer varieties showed a comparable performance of pest resistance in the field test compared with those in the laboratory test-for instance, there were nine aphid-resistant soybean genotypes identified in the greenhouse, but only two genotypes were identified as resistant in the field test (Bhusal et al, 2013). Zhu et al (2018) conducted identification of resistance to B. tabaci using 550 cotton genotypes in greenhouse and field experiments, although the greenhouse test identified 100 resistant and susceptible genotypes, there were only 42 genotypes that showed identical resistance performance in the field test. This inconsistency may be due to the change of experimental environment-for example, the faba bean (Vicia faba) resistance to weed or fungi under multienvironments exhibited distinct resistance levels (Rubiales et al, 2014).…”