Pest Management Science (2019) 75, 1718-1725

Qiling Hou, Lanjie Xu, Guoyu Liu, Xiaomeng Pang, Xiao Wang, Yufeng Zhang, Mingshan You, Zhongfu Ni, Zhangwu Zhao and Rongqi Liang (2019)
Plant-mediated gene silencing of an essential olfactory-related Gqα gene enhances resistance to grain aphid in common wheat in greenhouse and field
Pest Management Science 75 (6), 1718-1725
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
Grain aphid (Sitobion avenae F.) is a dominant pest that limits cereal crop production around the globe. Gq proteins have important roles in signal transduction in insect olfaction. Plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely studied in insect control, but its application for the control wheat aphid in the field requires further study. Here, we used double-stranded (ds)RNA feeding to verify the potential of selected Gqα fragments for host-mediated RNAi, and then evaluated the effect of RNAi on aphid olfaction in transgenic wheat in the greenhouse and field.
RESULTS
Gqα gene was expressed in the aphid life cycle, and a 540 bp fragment shared 98.1% similarity with the reported sequence. dsGqα feeding reduced the expression of Gqα, and both reproduction and molting in the grain aphid. Feeding transgenic lines in the greenhouse downregulated expression of aphid Gqα, and significantly reduced reproduction and molting numbers. Furthermore, our field results indicate that transgenic lines have lower aphid numbers and higher 1000-grain weight than an unsprayed wild-type control.
CONCLUSION
Plant-mediated silencing of an essential olfactory-related Gqα gene could enhance resistance to grain aphid in common wheat in both the greenhouse and the field.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sitobion avenae	Wheat (Triticum)