Impact of Triticum mosaic virus on the biology of the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer)

Wheat is an important food grain worldwide, and the primary dryland crop in the western Great Plains. A complex of three viruses (Wheat streak mosaic, Wheat mosaic, and Triticum mosaic viruses (TriMV)) is a serious cause of loss in winter wheat production in the western Great Plains with an estimated annual loss of ca. 2%. TriMV was only recently identified in Kansas in 2006. Currently, distinct populations of wheat curl mite (WCM) have been characterized by differential responses to mite resistant genes in wheat and differential transmission of wheat mosaic virus. TriMV transmission studies with WCM populations indicated a significant reduction in WCM survival when transferred from TriMV inoculated plants. Therefore, further research was needed to determine the impact of TriMV on mite reproduction. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of TriMV on the reproductive rate of wheat curl mite populations collected in the Great Plains region. TriMV-inoculated and water-inoculated plants were infested with 10 mites from each colony with population counts taken every seven days up to 21 days. Each treatment was replicated 12 times. Results indicated a significant reduction in eggs and mites across all WCM populations when reared on TriMV inoculated plants. This is the first report of a virus within this wheat-mite-virus complex to show a negative impact on its vector. The reduction of WCM populations reared on TriMV-inoculated wheat plants has the potential to impact the secondary spread of the virus in field situations.