Genetics of the interaction between rapeseed and the cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylloides chrysocephala)

Hughes, Jessica (2023) Genetics of the interaction between rapeseed and the cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylloides chrysocephala). Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

The cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB), Psylliodes chrysocephala, is a major pest of Brassicaceae, in particular, winter oilseed rape (WOSR), Brassica napus. After the 2013 EU-wide moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids, CSFB numbers dramatically rose in the United Kingdom (UK). In 2015, resistance to pyrethroids was confirmed in Germany, Denmark and the UK. A near complete ban of the use of neonicotinoids across the EU was declared in April 2018. As a result, farmers have been left with no viable control for CSFB and are turning away from growing WOSR in the future. WOSR is one of the UKs most profitable crops and a reduction in the area grown would be detrimental to the economy and UK farming.

Previous research attempts have been made to reveal resistance and tolerance traits to flea beetles in general, however few have focused specifically on CSFB adults. A large gap in knowledge of the genetics underlying phenotypic responses to CSFB is preventing advancements in development of new resistant/tolerant varieties of WOSR.

Herein this thesis presents:
Six-way choice chambers identifying variation in adult CSFB feeding damage,
Two-way and non-choice experiments confirm results from six-way choice chambers,
Three-way and non-choice experiments of a more resistant B. napus variety, a more susceptible variety and F1 cross of these parental lines,
Field trial data confirms adult feeding preferences seen in lab are retained in the field,
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Gene Expression Marker (GEM) outputs from an Associative Transcriptomics pipeline for CSFB herbivory data,
Arabidopsis mutant feeding assays further investigating a candidate gene.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	14 Jan 2025 11:12
Last Modified:	14 Jan 2025 11:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98200
DOI:

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