Evaluation of weed species as tomato spotted wilt virus (Bunyaviridae: Tospovirus) acquisition sources for Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Abstract

We examined the acquisition and transmission rates of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in Frankliniella occidentalis that were fed with eight TSWV-infected weed species. When the first instar larvae were given TSWV-infected leaves of Cerastium glomeratum, Solanum nigrum, Stellaria media, and Galinsoga ciliata, the acquisition rates of adult thrips were 85.4%, 73.6%, 72.6%, and 35.6%, and the transmission rates were 76.4%, 60.9%, 61.3%, and 29.9%, respectively. On the other hand, the acquisition and transmission rates were less than 10% when F. occidentalis were fed with Lamium amplexicaule, Stellaria neglecta, Veronica persica, and Vicia angustifolia. These results suggest that the potential to be an TSWV-acquisition source for F. occidentalis differs among weed species, and that the thrips can become transmitters by acquiring the virus from some weed species.