Indirect effect of elevated CO 2 concentration on Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 feeding on Bt soybean plants

• Published in: Journal of applied entomology (1986) Vol. 144; no. 10; pp. 941 - 951
• Main Authors: De Paulo, Paula Daiana, Pereira, Eliseu José G., Oliveira, Eugenio E., Fereres, Alberto, Garzo, Elisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2020
• ISSN: 0931-2048; 1439-0418
• DOI: 10.1111/jen.12822

Abstract The development of herbivore insects is influenced by the quality of their host plants. Elevated CO 2 alters plant metabolism, which may change the nutritional quality of the plant, modifying the life history and feeding behaviour of herbivore insects. Understanding how insect pests respond to increasing CO 2 concentration is essential for predicting the impact of the pest on food security. In this study, we investigated the effects of elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) on the life history and feeding behaviour of the MEAM1 species of Bemisia tabaci on a Bt soybean cultivar. We found that eCO 2 increased the egg to adult development time and reduced the reproductive responses (fecundity and fertility) of B. tabaci . The whitefly B. tabaci that fed on the soybean plants grown under eCO 2 conditions was negatively influenced by several traits related to the host plant resistance, such as the time spent on phloem sap ingestion. Furthermore, we evaluated the changes in the C:N concentration and plant morphology of the Bt plants. The biomass (weight of leaves and stems) of the Bt soybean plants grown under eCO 2 conditions was significantly increased, and the elevated C:N ratio in the phenological stage V6 (i.e. when the plants had six trifoliate leaves developed) was the most pronounced difference in the Bt soybean plants subjected to eCO 2 treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that Bt plants cultivated under eCO 2 inhibit B. tabaci feeding, which can reduce whitefly infestations of the soybean fields.