Hazel Parry1, Andrew Kalyebi2, Felix Bianchi3, Peter Sseruwagi4, John Colvin5, Nancy Schellhorn1, Sarina Macfadyen6. 1. CSIRO, Ecoscience Precinct, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 2. National Crops Resources Research Institute, Kampala, Uganda. 3. Farming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 4. Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute - Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 5. NRI, University of Greenwich, Kent, UK. 6. CSIRO, Black Mountain, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is an important vector of virus diseases, impacting cassava production in East Africa. To date, breeding efforts in this region have focused on disease resistance. Here we use a spatially-explicit simulation model to explore how breeding strategies for whitefly resistance will influence the population dynamics of whitefly in the context of regional variation in cassava crop management practices. RESULTS: Simulations indicated that regions with a short cropping cycle and two cropping seasons per year were associated with high whitefly abundance. Nymph mortality and antixenosis resistance mechanisms were more effective than mechanisms that lead to longer whitefly development times. When spatial variation was introduced in heterogeneous landscapes, however, negative consequences of the antixenosis effect were observed in fields containing whitefly susceptible varieties, unless the proportion of whitefly resistant variety in the landscape was low (~10%) or the amount of matrix in the landscape was high (~75%). CONCLUSION: We show the importance of considering cropping regime and landscape management context when developing and deploying whitefly-resistant cassava varieties. Recommendations differ significantly between regions. There may also be unintended negative consequences of higher whitefly densities for whitefly susceptible varieties if uptake of the new variety in a landscape is high, depending on the mechanism of resistance and the landscape context. Furthermore, we show that in some cases, such as where there is substantial fallow combined with a short single-season crop, the management characteristics of the existing cropping regime alone may be effective at controlling whitefly populations.
BACKGROUND: The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is an important vector of virus diseases, impacting cassava production in East Africa. To date, breeding efforts in this region have focused on disease resistance. Here we use a spatially-explicit simulation model to explore how breeding strategies for whitefly resistance will influence the population dynamics of whitefly in the context of regional variation in cassava crop management practices. RESULTS: Simulations indicated that regions with a short cropping cycle and two cropping seasons per year were associated with high whitefly abundance. Nymph mortality and antixenosis resistance mechanisms were more effective than mechanisms that lead to longer whitefly development times. When spatial variation was introduced in heterogeneous landscapes, however, negative consequences of the antixenosis effect were observed in fields containing whitefly susceptible varieties, unless the proportion of whitefly resistant variety in the landscape was low (~10%) or the amount of matrix in the landscape was high (~75%). CONCLUSION: We show the importance of considering cropping regime and landscape management context when developing and deploying whitefly-resistant cassava varieties. Recommendations differ significantly between regions. There may also be unintended negative consequences of higher whitefly densities for whitefly susceptible varieties if uptake of the new variety in a landscape is high, depending on the mechanism of resistance and the landscape context. Furthermore, we show that in some cases, such as where there is substantial fallow combined with a short single-season crop, the management characteristics of the existing cropping regime alone may be effective at controlling whitefly populations.
Authors: Andrew Kalyebi; Sarina Macfadyen; Andrew Hulthen; Patrick Ocitti; Frances Jacomb; Wee Tek Tay; John Colvin; Paul De Barro Journal: Insects Date: 2021-03-22 Impact factor: 2.769
Authors: Vasthi Alonso Chavez; Alice E Milne; Frank van den Bosch; Justin Pita; C Finn McQuaid Journal: Plant Mol Biol Date: 2021-07-27 Impact factor: 4.335