Acquisition and transmission of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” differs among Wolbachia-infected and uninfected haplotypes of Bactericera cockerelli

Authors: Cooper, William - Rodney; Swisher Grimm, Kylie; Angelella, Gina; MUSTAFA, TARIQ - University Of Agriculture - Pakistan

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2023
Publication Date: 1/23/2023
Citation: Cooper, W.R., Swisher Grimm, K.D., Angelella, G.M., Mustafa, T. 2023. Acquisition and transmission of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” differs among Wolbachia-infected and uninfected haplotypes of Bactericera cockerelli. Plant Disease. 107:2440-2445. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-22-2701-RE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-22-2701-RE

Interpretive Summary: The potato psyllid is a vector of the pathogen that causes zebra chip disease of potato. This insect occurs as biologically distinct haplotypes, but it was unclear whether the haplotypes were equally capable of spreading the zebra chip pathogen. Scientists at the USDA-ARS in Wapato, WA compared acquisition and transmission of the zebra chip pathogen by three common potato psyllid haplotypes called northwestern, western, and central. They found that the western and central haplotypes were more likely than the northwestern haplotype to acquire and transmit the zebra chip pathogen. They also discovered a potential interaction between the zebra chip pathogen and an insect symbiont called Wolbachia. Results of this study show that the western and central haplotypes of potato psyllid pose a greater risk for the spread of zebra chip disease than does the northwestern haplotype.

Technical Abstract: “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” (Lso) causes disease symptoms and economic losses in potato, tomato, and other solanaceous crops in North America. Lso is transmitted to plants by potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli, which occurs as distinct haplotypes named western, central, and northwestern haplotypes that differ in presence or absence of the bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia. Previous work showed that all three vector haplotypes can transmit Lso, but it was not clear whether acquisition and transmission rates of Lso were similar among the haplotypes. The goal of our study was to compare infection and acquisition rates of Lso by psyllids of the western, central, and northwestern haplotypes. Using Lso infection data spanning several years from periodic confirmation of Lso infection of laboratory-reared potato psyllid colonies, we showed that psyllids of the western and central haplotypes are more likely to harbor Lso than are psyllids of the northwestern haplotype. We then used greenhouse assays to demonstrate that psyllids of the northwestern haplotype are less likely to acquire and transmit Lso compared with those of the western haplotype. Lso infection rates corresponded with Wolbachia infection among the three psyllid haplotypes. The Wolbachia-infected central and western haplotypes were more likely to harbor and transmit Lso compared with the Wolbachia-free northwestern haplotype. Results demonstrate that potato psyllids of the western and central haplotypes pose a greater risk for spread of Lso in crops and suggest a pattern between infection with Lso and Wolbachia in potato psyllid.