Dataset Information

Oviposition, Feeding Preferences and Distribution of Delia Species (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Eastern Canadian Onions.

ABSTRACT: Delia antiqua, Delia platura and Delia florilega are three root maggot species commonly considered pests in Eastern Canadian onions. The onion maggot, D. antiqua, is considered the primary root maggot pest in onion but it remains unclear whether the other two species are also causing damage. In order to develop updated management strategies for root maggot, we tested adult oviposition and feeding preference by Delia larvae on four growth stages of onion using bioassays and we determined the Delia species composition across the four major onion growing regions in eastern Canada. Delia species oviposit readily on onion at the 5-7 true leaf growth stage but damage on onions is not statistically different between Delia species in our zero-inflated models. The four eastern Canadian onion growing regions have different proportions of Delia species. Southern Ontario and Quebec were the only two regions where Delia antiqua was collected. The highest average numbers of Delia spp. were caught in Quebec and Nova Scotia. Our study shows that timing is important in implementation of management strategies for root maggot in Eastern Canadian onions.

SUBMITTER: Mlynarek JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7697486 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Oviposition, Feeding Preferences and Distribution of Delia Species (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Eastern Canadian Onions.

Mlynarek Julia J JJ MacDonald Maggie M Sim Kathrin K Hiltz Kim K McDonald Mary Ruth MR Blatt Suzanne S

Insects 20201111 11

Delia antiqua, Delia platura and Delia florilega are three root maggot species commonly considered pests in Eastern Canadian onions. The onion maggot, D. antiqua, is considered the primary root maggot pest in onion but it remains unclear whether the other two species are also causing damage. In order to develop updated management strategies for root maggot, we tested adult oviposition and feeding preference by Delia larvae on four growth stages of onion using bioassay ...[more]

PMID: 33187092

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Project description:Like aboveground herbivores, belowground herbivores are confronted with multiple plant defense mechanisms including complex chemical cocktails in plant tissue. Roots and shoots of Brassicaceae plants contain the two-component glucosinolate (GSL)-myrosinase defense system. Upon cell damage, for example by herbivore feeding, toxic and pungent isothiocyanates (ITCs) can be formed. Several aboveground-feeding herbivores have developed biochemical adaptation strategies to overcome the GSL-ITC defenses of their host plant. Whether belowground herbivores feeding on Brassica roots possess similar mechanisms has received little attention. Here, we analyze how two related belowground specialist herbivores detoxify the GSL-ITC defenses of their host plants. The larvae of the fly species Delia radicum and D. floralis are common pests and specialized herbivores on the roots of Brassicaceae. We used chemical analyses (HPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-UV) to examine how the GSL-ITC defense system is metabolized by these congeneric larvae. In addition, we screened for candidate genes involved in the detoxification process using RNAseq and qPCR. The chemical analyses yielded glutathione conjugates and amines. This indicates that both species detoxify ITCs using potentially the general mercapturic acid pathway, which is also found in aboveground herbivores, and an ITC-specific hydrolytic pathway previously characterized in microbes. Performance assays confirmed that ITCs negatively affect the survival of both species, in spite of their known specialization to ITC-producing plants and tissues, whereas ITC breakdown products are less toxic. Interestingly, the RNAseq analyses showed that the two congeneric species activate different sets of genes upon ITC exposure, which was supported by qPCR data. Based on our findings, we conclude that these specialist larvae use combinations of general and compound-specific detoxification mechanisms with differing efficacies and substrate preferences. This indicates that combining detoxification mechanisms can be an evolutionarily successful strategy to handle plant defenses in herbivores.

Dataset Information

Oviposition, Feeding Preferences and Distribution of Delia Species (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Eastern Canadian Onions.

Publications

Oviposition, Feeding Preferences and Distribution of <i>Delia</i> Species (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Eastern Canadian Onions.

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