Pierce's disease vector transmission-preference experiment on PdR1 resistant grapevines

Host defense against vector-borne plant pathogens is a critical component of integrated disease management. However, theory predicts that traits that confer tolerance or partial resistance can, under certain ecological conditions, enhance the spread of pathogens and spillover to more susceptible populations or cultivars. A key component driving such epidemic risk appears to be variation in host selection behavior of vectors based on infection status of the host. While recent theory has further emphasized the importance of infection-induced host-selection behavior by insect vectors for plant disease epidemiology, experimental tests on the relationship between vector host-selection preference and transmission are lacking. We test how host plant defense—conferred by the PdR1 gene complex—mediates vector host-selection preference and transmission of the pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa among grapevine cultivars. We confirmed that PdR1 confers resistance against X. fastidiosa by reduc...