Research ArticleOpen Access

Bi-Directional Interaction between Systemic Botrytis Cinerea, and Aphid Myzus Persicae on Lettuce Plant

Volume 1 - Issue 4

**Yahaya SM*¹, Ali MU¹, Lawan M¹, Amina LA², Sadiya AB², Maimuna MD², Ibrahim AM², Musa MJ² and Tasiu AM²**

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- ¹Department of Biology, Kano University of Science and Technology, Nigeria
- ²Department of Biochemistry, Kano University of Science and Technology, Nigeria
*Corresponding author: Yahaya SM, Department of Biology, Kano University of Science and Technology, Nigeria

Received: August 07, 2017; Published: September 06, 2017

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2017.01.000327

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Abstract

Bi-directional interaction between economically important fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and aphid Myzus persicea causes serious economic losses to the crop plants resulting in loss of both time and money spend. In bi-direction interaction the fungal pathogen and insect herbivores, can both interact directly with the plant and interact indirectly with each other as they struggle to compete for the resources of the plant. We investigated the bi-directional interaction between the necrotrophic and economically important fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea Pers Fr (Helotiales Sclerotiniaceae) and the aphid Myzus persicae (Hemiptera Aphididae) on plant host, lettuce Lactuca sativa (Asteraceae: Compositae). Botrytis cinerea on host plant causes a brownish discoloration of the leaf petiole accompanied by the rotting of the leaves, however, presence of aphids on lettuce plants causes’ economic damage directly through injury and indirectly through virus transmission, resulting in wilting and head contamination.

In this study, it was found that negative interaction between B. cinerea and Myzus persicae was established. The presence of fungal pathogen B. cinerea and Myzus persicae stressed the host lettuce plant, resulting in significant reduction in the rate of photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence, and reduction in the dry shoot and root weight of the lettuce plant. The study established that aphid population growth rate and the number of B. cinerea lesions decreased when both were present on the same host plant.

Keywords: B. cinerea; Chlorophyll fluorescence Myzus persicae; Rate of photosynthesis; Systemic infection