Russian wheat aphid causes greater reduction in phloem transport capacity of barley leaves than bird cherry-oat aphid

The effects of feeding by the Russian wheat aphid (RWA), Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko and the Bird cherry-oat aphid (BCA), Rhopalosiphum padi L on the transport capacity of barley Hordeum vulgare L leaves were investigated and compared with a view to relating these effects to the visible symptoms shown by the respective infested plants. RWAcauses extensive chlorosis and necrosis on an infested plant whereas BCA causes no observable symptoms. Our results using the xenobiotic, phloem mobile fluorophore, 5, 6 carboxyfluorescein diacetate (5, 6-CFDA) revealed striking differences in damage to the transport of assimilates through the phloem by these two aphids. The result clearly suggests that short-term feeding by RWA causes a reduction in transport of assimilates and a more severe reduction or perhaps even permanent cessation of transport during long-term feeding. In contrast, feeding by BCA does not lead to a marked decrease in transport during short-term feeding period, however, a reduction in the transport was recorded during long-term feeding activities. These results perhaps suggest that damage to transport capacities of the barley leaves appears to be partly responsible for the observed symptoms in RWA-infested plants and the lack of them during BCAinfestations, symptoms such as reduction or cessation in transport of assimilates to growing tissues may lead to such observable symptoms

Stronger induction of callose deposition in barley by Russian wheat aphid than bird cherry-oat aphid is not associated with differences in callose synthase or ≤-1,3-glucanase expression

The effects of infestation by the bird cherry-oat aphid (BCA), (Rhopalosiphum padi L) and the Russian wheat aphid (RWA) (Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko) on callose deposition and gene expression related to callose accumulation were investigated in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Clipper). The BCA, which gives no visible symptoms, induced very limited callose deposition, even after 14 days of infestation. In contrast, RWA, which causes chlorosis, white and yellow streaking and leaf rolling, induced callose accumulation already after 24h in longitudinal leaf veins. The deposition was pronounced after 72 h, progressing during 7 and 14 days of infestation. In RWA-infested source leaves, callose was also induced in longitudinal veins basipetal to the aphid-infested tissue, whereas in sink leaves, more callose deposition was found above the feeding sites. Nine putative callose synthase genes were identified in a data base search, of which eight were expressed in the leaves, but with similar level of expression in control and aphid-infested tissue. Four out of 12 examined β-1,3-glucanases were expressed in the leaves, and three of them were up-regulated in aphid-infested tissue. They were all more strongly induced by RWA than BCA. The results suggest that callose accumulation may be partly responsible for the symptoms resulting from RWA feeding and that a callose-inducing signal may be transported in the phloem. Furthermore it is concluded that the absence of callose deposition in BCA-infested leaves is not due to a stronger induction of callose-degrading β-1,3-glucanases in this tissue, as compared to RWA-infested leaves