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Insects
Special Issues
Insect Transmission of Plant Viruses
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Insect Transmission of Plant Viruses

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1861

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wenwen Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: insects; virus
Dr. Yan Huo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: arbovirus; planthopper; plant virus; vector; pathogen-vector interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transmission of plant viruses by insect vectors is a critical process in plant pathology and viral disease epidemiology. This Special Issue aims to publish newly gained knowledge on the biological and ecological mechanisms by which insects acquire, retain, and inoculate viruses into host plants. Key areas include insect vectors (e.g., aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers) and their interactions with viruses, categorized into transmission modes such as non-persistent, semi-persistent, and persistent-circulative pathways, which depend on viral retention sites (e.g., stylets, midgut, salivary glands). Additionally, it also explores how plant–virus–insect tripartite interactions influence insect vector behavior and virus spread. The published data will contribute to the sustainable prevention and control of insect-borne plant virus diseases.

Dr. Wenwen Liu
Dr. Yan Huo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect vectors
  • vector specificity
  • viruses
  • persistent transmission
  • non-persistent transmission
  • plant–virus–insect tripartite interactions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1040 KB  
Article
Distinct Modulation of Feeding Behavior in the Whitefly Vector Bemisia tabaci MED by ToCV Single-Infection Versus Synergistic Co-Infection with TYLCV
by Tianbo Ding, Hong Huang, Xiaobei Liu, Min Zhang, Jianmei Yu, Guoxu Xia and Dong Chu
Insects 2025, 16(11), 1091; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16111091 (registering DOI) - 24 Oct 2025
Abstract
Plant viruses can significantly influence the behavior and performance of their insect vectors, with profound implications for viral epidemiology. However, studies on the effects of co-infection with multiple plant viruses on vector feeding behavior remain scarce, despite its frequent occurrence in nature and [...] Read more.
Plant viruses can significantly influence the behavior and performance of their insect vectors, with profound implications for viral epidemiology. However, studies on the effects of co-infection with multiple plant viruses on vector feeding behavior remain scarce, despite its frequent occurrence in nature and potential for altered transmission outcomes. Bemisia tabaci MED, a key vector insect, is closely linked to the rapid spread of tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in China. In this study, the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique was employed to investigate and compare the indirect (via infected plants) and direct (via viruliferous insects) effects of ToCV alone and ToCV and TYLCV co-infection on the feeding behaviors of B. tabaci MED. The results revealed that whiteflies on ToCV-infected or ToCV&TYLCV co-infected plants exhibited significantly longer non-probing durations compared to those on un-infected plants. The intracellular puncture activity of whiteflies was markedly reduced on virus-infected plants, and ToCV infection particularly shortened the duration of phloem sap ingestion. Moreover, viruliferous whiteflies (carrying ToCV or both viruses) spent less time in the intercellular pathway phase. Specifically, ToCV-viruliferous whiteflies had a shorter first-probe duration than non-viruliferous ones. The time from the first probe to the first E phase was also shorter in viruliferous whiteflies, especially in those carrying both ToCV and TYLCV. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed in the total duration of phloem sap ingestion between ToCV-viruliferous and ToCV&TYLCV-viruliferous whiteflies. These findings indicate that both ToCV infection and ToCV&TYLCV co-infection can modulate whitefly feeding behaviors through indirect and direct manners, with co-infection eliciting unique behavioral changes. These insights are valuable for elucidating the negative impact of ToCV-infected and ToCV&TYLCV co-infected tomato plants on whitefly performance, and for uncovering the mechanisms underlying the epidemics of these viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Transmission of Plant Viruses)
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12 pages, 2473 KB  
Article
Enhanced Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Thailand Virus Suppression Through Multi-Disease and Insect-Resistant Tomato Lines Combining Virus and Vector Resistance
by Shruthi Shimoga Prabhakar, Yun-Che Hsu, Joyce Yen, Hsiu-Yi Chou, Mei-Ying Lin, Mallapuram Shanthi Priya, Stephen Othim, Srinivasan Ramasamy and Assaf Eybishitz
Insects 2025, 16(7), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16070721 - 15 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1432
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an essential vegetable crop cultivated worldwide, but its production is highly vulnerable to tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD), which is transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). Management strategies typically focus on controlling either the virus [...] Read more.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an essential vegetable crop cultivated worldwide, but its production is highly vulnerable to tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD), which is transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). Management strategies typically focus on controlling either the virus or its vector. This study evaluates the effectiveness of multi-disease and insect-resistant tomato lines, developed by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), which integrate Ty-1/Ty-3 genes for virus resistance and WF2-10 and WF3-09 genes for whitefly resistance. Virus accumulation, whitefly settling behavior, and adult mortality were assessed among multi-resistant lines, a Ty-resistant line, a whitefly-resistant line, and a susceptible check using preference bioassays, controlled inoculation experiments, and acylsugar quantification. Multi-resistant lines exhibited significantly higher acylsugar concentrations, reduced whitefly preference for settling, and increased whitefly adult mortality. Additionally, these lines displayed less severe disease symptoms and lower virus accumulation over time than Ty-resistant, whitefly-resistant, and susceptible controls. These findings highlight the superior efficacy of combined virus and vector resistance in mitigating tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV) transmission. This research underscores the importance of integrated genetic resistance as a key element of sustainable integrated pest management strategies, offering an environmentally friendly solution for safeguarding global tomato production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Transmission of Plant Viruses)
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