Is the Oil Seed Crop Camelina sativa a Potential Host for Aphid Pests?

Chesnais, Q.; Verzeaux, J.; Couty, A.; Le Roux, V.; Ameline, A.

Is the Oil Seed Crop Camelina sativa a Potential Host for Aphid Pests?

2015

Chesnais, Q. | Verzeaux, J. | Couty, A. | Le Roux, V. | Ameline, A.

Camelina sativa is a Brassicaceae that was commonly cultivated in Europe until the nineteenth century. Recently, it has received much interest as an alternative oil seed crop because of its particular oil composition and low requirements in terms of agronomic inputs and its resistance to some Brassicaceae-chewing insects. However, little is known about the consequences of its reintroduction on piercing-sucking insect pests that are not Brassicaceae specialists but that are likely to transmit phytoviruses. In this context, laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the potential colonization of camelina by four major aphid species of northern France. Orientation tests, feeding behavior assessed by electrical penetration graph, and demographic bioassays showed that the polyphagous species Aphis fabae (Scop) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) were able to land, feed, and reproduce on the plant. They even fed and performed better on camelina than the Brassicaceae specialist Brevicoryne brassicae (L.). Surprisingly, to a lesser extent, C. sativa could also be a suitable host for the cereal specialist Rhopalosiphum padi (L.). The colonization ability of camelina by the different aphids is discussed in terms of the degree of specialization and physicochemical characteristics of the plant. Camelina may therefore constitute a reservoir for aphid species issued from surrounding crops and their associated pathogens.

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