Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), caused by cassava mosaic geminiviruses (CMGs), is a major constraint to the cassava crop in Africa and southeastern Asia. Here, we investigated the ability of acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), a functional analog of salicylic acid (SA), to trigger systemic acquired resistance (SAR) against two CMGs, namely African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus (EACMCV) in Nicotiana benthamiana. ASM treatment delayed the time to first viral symptoms appearance, reduced virus infection rate, and attenuated symptoms. Furthermore, ASM caused an enhanced recovery from symptoms of both viruses and inhibited plant death observed in N. benthamiana plants infected by EACMCV. This study further showed that ASM induced resistance to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), the vector of CMGs, in cassava. Notably, we observed that ASM treatment affected adult whitefly feeding preference and oviposition in cassava under both choice and no-choice conditions. A significant reduction in whitefly adult, egg, and nymph populations was observed irrespective of ASM treatment. The results of this study show that ASM has the potential to control both CMGs and their whitefly vector which is an important first step toward managing whitefly and cassava viruses.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105796

Multi standard citation

APAHarvardMLAVancouverChicagoIEEE

Rachid Hannahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5715-0144

Fotso Kuate, A.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5247-7519

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105796

Plant Production and Health

Agronomy; Cassava; Plant Breeding; Plant Diseases; Plant Health; Plant Production

Cassava; African Cassava Mosaic Virus; Bemisia Tabaci; Nicotiana; Cameroon

Africa; Central Africa

Cameroon

Central Africa Hub

Crop Protection