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Modulation of Aphid Vector Activity by Potato virus Y on In Vitro Potato Plants

The effects of the infection of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants by the nonpersistent Potato virus Y (PVY) were studied on the host plant colonization behavior of different colonizing (Myzus persicae) and noncolonizing (Aphis fabae, Brevicoryne brassicae, and Sitobion avenae) aphid species. The underlying questions of this study were to know how aphids respond when faced with PVY-infected plants and whether plant infection can modify the aphid behavior involved in PVY spread. Short-range orientation behavior was observed using a dual-choice set-up and aphid feeding behavior was monitored using the electrical penetration graph technique. None of the aphid species discriminated between healthy and PVY-infected plants. Nevertheless, most individuals of M. persicae landed on and probed only in one plant whereas noncolonizing aphid species exhibited interplant movements. Study of the aphid feeding behavior showed that PVY infection essentially modified phloem and xylem ingestion. M. persicae and S. avenae exhibited an increased duration of phloem phases on PVY-infected plants whereas A. fabae showed a decreased duration of phloem phases that benefited from an increased duration of xylem ingestion phases. None of these parameters were changed in B. brassicae. These data present evidence that aphids can respond to plants infected by nonpersistent viruses. Such behavioral modifications are discussed within the context of PVY spread in potato crops.