ABSTRACT
Considerable variation exists in plant defense mechanisms between different genotypes and this has been shaped by differences in natural variation of plant habitat. Due to the difference in natural selection pressure, plant populations possess different resistance levels against pest species. Here, we investigated the response of three wild potato (Solanum stoloniferum Schltdl.) accessions and one cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Desiree) to aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer) herbivory. The current study revealed that there was a significant reduction in aphid survival and reproduction on wild potato accessions compared to cultivated potato. A similar trend was observed in olfactometer bioassay; the wild accessions had a repellent effect on adult aphids. In contrast, among the tested wild potato accessions, the parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (M’Intosh) was significantly attracted to volatiles from one wild potato lines. Volatile analysis showed that wild accessions emitted significantly more volatiles compared to a cultivated potato. Principal component analysis (PCA) of volatile data revealed that the volatile profiles of wild and cultivated potato are qualitatively and quantitively dissimilar. Our findings show that the tested wild accessions have the potential to be used to breed aphid-resistant potatoes. This opens new opportunities to reduce the aphid damage and to enhance the recruitment of natural enemies.
