Judul: Endosymbionts Associated with Banana Aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Abstrak: Banana bunchy top disease caused by Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), is one of the constraints to banana production worldwide, including in Indonesia. BBTV is transmitted by aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in a persistent manner. Several factors affecting the efficiency of insect vector in transmitting the virus are temperature, developmental stage of insect vector, and their association with endosymbionts. The objective of this study is to identify and analyze the genetic diversity of endosymbionts associated with banana aphid P. nigronervosa. Aphid samples were collected around Bogor from banana plants that showed symptoms of BBTV infection and those that looked healthy. Identification of endosymbionts was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method using specific primers for nine endosymbionts, namely Buchnera aphidicola, Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Rickettsiella, Serratia symbiotica, Regiella insecticola, Hamiltonella defensa, Arsenophonus sp., Spiroplasma. Confirmation of BBTV infection in plant samples and identification of banana aphid were also carried out by PCR, using BBTV specific primers and mtCOI universal primers, respectively. BBTV infection was confirmed in symptomatic sample plants. Banana aphids collected were identified as P. nigronervosa with 89%-100% homology to accessions in Genbank. Primary endosymbionts (B. aphidicola) were successfully amplified from all aphid samples, while secondary endosymbionts (Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Rickettsiella, Spiroplasma, Arsenophonus, and S. symbiotica) were only successfully amplified from some aphid samples. Endosymbiont diversity was found to be higher in aphids from healthy plants. The relationship between endosymbionts, aphids, and banana bunchy top disease incidence needs further study., Penyakit kerdil pisang yang disebabkan oleh Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) merupakan salah satu kendala produksi pisang di seluruh dunia, termasuk Indonesia. BBTV ditularkan melalui serangga vektor kutudaun Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae) secara persisten. Beberapa faktor yang memengaruhi efisiensi serangga vektor menularkan virus adalah suhu udara, tahap perkembangan serangga vektor, dan asosiasinya dengan endosimbion. Penelitian dilakukan dengan tujuan mengidentifikasi dan menganalisis keragaman genetik endosimbion dari kutudaun pisang P. nigronervosa. Pengambilan sampel kutudaun dilakukan di sekitar Bogor pada tanaman pisang yang menunjukkan gejala infeksi BBTV maupun yang tampak sehat, masing-masing sebanyak lima tanaman. Identifikasi endosimbion dilakukan dengan metode polymerase chain reaction (PCR) menggunakan primer spesifik sembilan endosimbion, yaitu Buchnera aphidicola, Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Rickettsiella, Serratia symbiotica, Regiella insecticola, Hamiltonella defensa, Arsenophonus sp., Spiroplasma. Konfirmasi infeksi BBTV pada tanaman contoh dan identitas kutudaun juga dilakukan dengan metode PCR, berturut-turut menggunakan primer spesifik BBTV dan primer universal mtCOI. Infeksi BBTV berhasil terkonfirmasi pada tanaman contoh yang menunjukkan gejala. Demikian pula kutudaun pisang yang dikumpulkan berhasil diidentifikasi sebagai P. nigronervosa dengan homologi 89%-100% terhadap aksesi pada Genbank. Endosimbion primer (B. aphidicola) berhasil diamplifikasi dari semua sampel kutudaun; sedangkan endosimbion sekunder (Rickettsia, Wolbachia, Rickettsiella, Spiroplasma, Arsenophonus, S. symbiotica) hanya berhasil diamplifikasi dari beberapa sampel kutudaun. Keragaman endosimbion lebih banyak ditemukan pada kutudaun yang berasal dari tanaman sehat. Hubungan antara endosimbion, kutudaun dan insidensi penyakit kerdil pisang perlu dipelajari lebih lanjut.
Keyword: Banana bunchy top virus, insect vector, polymerase chain reaction, primary endosymbiont, secondary endosymbiont