Powdery Mildew Fungus Oidium lycopersici Infected-Tomato Plants Attracts the Non-Vector Greenhouse Whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, but Seems Impair Their Development

The mechanism underlying the mediation of behavior and fitness non-vector herbivores by fungal pathogen-infected host plants is still unclear. In this study, we experimentally assessed effects tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plant infection status on using powdery mildew disease fungus (Oidium lycopersici) greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum as a model multitrophic plant-pathogen, herbivore interaction. behavioral bioassays, mildew-infected (PM) damaged combined attack whiteflies (PMWF) attracted significantly more (32.6% 58.1% for PM PMWF, respectively) than control (Con) (16.5%) or only (WF) (24.2%). Whiteflies feeding PMWF secreted almost twice much honeydew Con WF plants. This indicated that fed diseased healthy However, preferences increased did not increase immature growth T. vaporariorum, but prolonged their developmental durations, compared with those developed results showed infestation reduced development fitness.