Inferring the population structure of Myzus persicae in diverse agroecosystems using microsatellite markers

Spatial and Temporal Genetic Diversity of the Peach Potato Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) in Tunisia

The peach potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is a worldwide pest of many crops, and the most important aphid pest of peach and potato crops in Tunisia, mainly due to virus transmission, for which insecticides are frequently applied. We studied the genetic structure of M. persicae populations in Tunisia, in order to further our understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors shaping populations and to predict their evolutionary responses to the present management practices. We monitored peach orchards and seed potato crops in different seasons and regions from 2011–2013 and in 2016 (19 populations), assessing the genetic diversity of M. persicae at six microsatellite loci. Temporal and spatial changes in the frequency and distribution of 397 genotypes in 548 sampled aphids were studied. Only 37 genotypes were found more than once (clonal amplification), as most genotypes were found only once (91.60% in peach; 88.73% in potato crops). A similarly high genetic diversity was observed in aphids sampled from peach (G/N = 0.76; Ho = 0.617) and potato (G/N = 0.70; Ho = 0.641). Only a weak genetic differentiation among populations was found, mainly between geographic locations. Clustering analysis revealed genotypes to be grouped mainly according to host plant. The availability of the primary host, high proportion of unique genotypes, high genetic diversity and lack of structuring suggest that the aphid reproduces mainly through cyclical parthenogenesis in Tunisia. On the other hand, we provide a farm-scale study that shows how easily M. persicae can colonize different areas and hosts, which may have important implications in relation to plant virus vectoring.

Characterization of microsatellite DNA libraries from three mealybug species and development of microsatellite markers for Pseudococcus viburni (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are important pests for crops worldwide. Different species, cryptic taxa under the same species name or even populations within a species can differ in biological characteristics, such as phenology, resistance to insecticides, virus transmission and susceptibility to natural enemies. Therefore, their management efficacy depends on their accurate identification. Microsatellite genetic markers are efficient in revealing the fine-scale taxonomic status of insects, both at inter- and intra-specific level. Despite their potential uses, microsatellites have been developed only for one mealybug species so far. Hence, it is unclear whether microsatellites may be useful to assess mealybug population differentiation and structuring. In this work, we tested the feasibility of developing microsatellite markers in mealybugs by: (i) producing and characterizing microsatellite DNA libraries for three species: Pseudococcus viburni, Pseudococcus comstocki and Heliococcus bohemicus, and (ii) by developing and testing markers for Ps. viburni. The obtained libraries contained balanced percentages of dinucleotide (ranging from 15 to 25%) and trinucleotide (from 5 to 17%) motifs. The marker setup for Ps. viburni was successful, although 70% of the primers initially tested were discarded for a lack of polymorphism. Finally, 25 markers were combined in two multiplex polymerase chain reactions with 21 displaying no evidence of deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Ps. viburni markers were tested on one population from France and one from Chile. The markers revealed a significant genetic differentiation between the two populations with an Fst estimate of 0.266.

Genetic diversity and insecticide resistance during the growing season in the green peach aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on primary and secondary hosts: a farm-scale study in Central Chile

The seasonal dynamics of neutral genetic diversity and the insecticide resistance mechanisms of insect pests at the farm scale are still poorly documented. Here this was addressed in the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Central Chile. Samples were collected from an insecticide sprayed peach (Prunus persica L.) orchard (primary host), and a sweet-pepper (Capsicum annum var. grossum L.) field (secondary host). In addition, aphids from weeds (secondary hosts) growing among these crops were also sampled. Many unique multilocus genotypes were found on peach trees, while secondary hosts were colonized mostly by the six most common genotypes, which were predominantly sensitive to insecticides. In both fields, a small but significant genetic differentiation was found between aphids on the crops vs. their weeds. Within-season comparisons showed genetic differentiation between early and late season samples from peach, as well as for weeds in the peach orchard. The knock-down resistance (kdr) mutation was detected mostly in the heterozygote state, often associated with modified acetylcholinesterase throughout the season for both crops. This mutation was found in high frequency, mainly in the peach orchard. The super-kdr mutation was found in very low frequencies in both crops. This study provides farm-scale evidence that the aphid M. persicae can be composed of slightly different genetic groups between contiguous populations of primary and secondary hosts exhibiting different dynamics of insecticide resistance through the growing season.