Stylet penetration activities of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci associated with inoculation of the crinivirus Tomato chlorosis virus

Abstract

Bemisiatabaci is an important vector of numerous plant viruses, including the emergent semi-persistently transmitted crinivirus Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV). Its vector feeding behaviour is complex, with important implications for virus transmission, epidemiology and control. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the role of the stylet penetration activities of B. tabaci in the inoculation of ToCV in tomatoes by using the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique. EPG recordings were classified into six categories depending on the waveforms observed. The results showed that ToCV inoculation is mainly associated with stylet activities in phloem sieve elements (E1 waveform), as there was a significant increase in the rate of transmission when whiteflies performed waveform E1. The precise stylet activities - either salivation or egestion - associated with virion release, presumably from retention sites in the foregut, need further investigation.