The soy virus may improve the survival rate of plant-eating insects

In a laboratory study, researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences found that when soybean thrips (small insects 0.

Asifa Hameed, who led the research when she completed her Ph.

"In addition to extending the lifespan of insects, SVNV infection also shortens the doubling time

The researchers recently published their findings in the journal Insects, and according to them, soybean vein necrosis, a disease that affects soybean plants, is caused

Once plants are infected with the virus, the pathogen first attacks the leaf veins, causing them to turn yellow

Cristina Rosa, an associate professor of plant virology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, said that because the virus was discovered in 2008 and is therefore relatively new, little

"Since there is no way to treat plants infected with the virus, controlling viral vectors [thrips] is one

To begin the study, the researchers collected soybean thrips from soybean fields at the Russell Larson Agricultural Research Center at Penn State University and then released them onto soybean plants in

The researchers then monitored the thrips for two generations, noting variables

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that the thrips that were not infected with the virus had shorter

"We also found that infected thrips tend to produce more offspring

The researchers also calculated the population doubling time, which is the time

While more research is needed to better understand the interaction between soybean thrips and SVNV, the researchers note that one possible explanation for the increase in thrips survival caused by SVNV could be an increase in amino acids in plants infected with the virus, which could benefit insects

Entomology professor Edwin Rajotte also offered Hamid advice

The Pennsylvania Soybean Council, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.

Journal Reference:

1. Asifa Hameed, Cristina Rosa, Edwin G.