According to research from Penn State, most viral infections have a detrimental effect on an organism’s health, but one plant virus in particular, known as soybean vein necrosis orthotospovirus (SVNV), may actually be beneficial to a particular kind of insect that frequently feeds on soybean plants and can spread the virus to the plant, causing disease.

In a lab experiment, scientists from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences discovered that soybean thrips, which are tiny insects that are between 0.03 to 0.20 inches long, had a tendency to live longer and reproduce more effectively than uninfected thrips. [1]

Figure 1. Peculiar Plant Virus Causes Bugs to Live Longer

Figure 1 shows senior scientist of entomology at Ayub Agricultural Research Institute in Multan, Pakistan, Asifa Hameed, who conducted the research while earning her doctorate in entomology at Penn State University, said the results provide important insight into how the virus spreads in plants and impacts its insect hosts. [2]

When a plant becomes infected with the virus, the pathogen affects the veins of the leaves, turning them yellow. This yellowing may then extend to other areas of the leaves, eventually resulting in brown lesions. If the disease progresses long enough, the leaves become necrotic and fall off. SVNV may also reduce the amount of oil and proteins in seeds, as well as the rate of germination and seed weight. [3]

The researchers also calculated the population doubling time, which is the amount of time it takes a population to double in size. Among uninfected thrips, the doubling time was around four days. In the SVNV-infected population, the doubling time was just half a day.

While more research is needed to better understand the interaction between soybean thrips and SVNV, the researchers noted that one possible explanation for why SVNV resulted in increased survival for the thrips may be an increase of amino acids in the virus-infected plants, which may have benefitted the insects. [4]

References:

1. https://publicnewstime.com/news/tech/peculiar-plant-virus-causes-bugs-to-live-longer/
2. https://scitechdaily.com/peculiar-plant-virus-causes-bugs-to-live-longer/
3. https://headtopics.com/us/peculiar-plant-virus-causes-bugs-to-live-longer-31285279
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220914141010.htm

Cite this article:

Hana M (2023), Peculiar Plant Virus Causes Bugs to Live Longer, AnaTechmaz ,pp.154