Whitefly Bemisia Tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Cryptic Species is Closely Associated with Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (Begomovirus: Geminiviridae) Hotspot Regions and Biochemical Changes in Host Plants

Abstract

The Greengram (Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek) or Mungbean is an important pulse crop cultivated in India. Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (Begomovirus; Geminiviridae) is one of the major constrains for the productivity and it is exclusively transmitted by the vector whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The study reveals that the genetic diversity of B.tabaci is influenced by the begomovirus infection. The sequence analysis of Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase (mtCOI) subunit I PCR products from 21 individual samples shown that exist of B. tabaci cryptic species Asia II 8 and Asia I. Where the Asia II 8 was closely associated with MYMV hotspot regions and Asia I was closely associated with vegetable crops grown in Tamil Nadu. Further laboratory experiment confirmed that the preference of B. tabaci (Asia II 8) was influenced by the MYMV infection status and the non viruliferous whiteflies settled more (55%) on infected plants and the viruliferous whiteflies settled more (62.7%) on non-infected plants. Subsequent biochemical analysis revealed that the preferences are associated with biochemical changes after the virus infection in the plants. Found that the protein, phenol, peroxidase and polyphenol peroxidase contents were increased and the chlorophyll and total sugars were decreased after MYMV infection in greengram. MYMV specific primer was used to detect the virus in greengram and whiteflies.