How does saliva function in planthopper-host interactions?

Planthoppers are highly destructive pests that damage rice plants by feeding and transmitting viruses. They feed on phloem sap using specialized mouthparts and secrete saliva during feeding. Over the past decade, genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic approaches have greatly improved our understanding of the complexity of planthopper saliva, and have provided a glimpse of planthopper-plant interactions. Here we focus on a few recent advances in planthopper saliva and discuss how salivary components influence planthopper performance. Understanding the molecular basis of saliva in planthopper-plant interactions will provide evolutionary insights, and promote the development of novel strategies for controlling agricultural pests.