An Acylsucrose-Producing Tomato Line Derived from the Wild Species <i>Solanum pimpinellifolium</i> Decreases Fitness of the Whitefly <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i>

• Main Authors: María J. Rodríguez-López, Enrique Moriones, Rafael Fernández-Muñoz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Insects
• Subjects: glandular trichomes; tomato; <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i>; whitefly-resistance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/9/616

A combination of biological control and host plant resistance would be desirable for optimally controlling the greenhouse whitefly, <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i> in tomato crops. Whitefly settlement preference, oviposition, and survivorship were evaluated on ABL 10-4 and ‘Moneymaker’, two nearly-isogenic tomato lines with, and without, whitefly-resistance traits based on type IV leaf glandular trichomes derived from the tomato wild species <i>Solanum pimpinellifolium</i>, respectively. Significantly reduced preference of <i>T. vaporariorum</i> adult whiteflies for ABL 10-4 leaves was observed. Moreover, <i>T. vaporariorum</i> altered its abaxial–adaxial settling performance on leaves of ABL 10-4 plants. A significantly lower tendency to settle on abaxial leaf surface was observed in ABL 10-4 compared to Moneymaker plants. Furthermore, <i>T. vaporariorum</i> deposited fewer eggs and exhibited a significantly reduced egg to adult survivorship in ABL 10-4 than in Moneymaker plants. Therefore, reduced fitness and distorted performance were observed for <i>T. vaporariorum</i> on ABL 10-4 tomato plants supporting that type IV leaf glandular trichomes might protect them from this pest and, indirectly, from the viruses it transmits.