2026/05/01 by Elin K. Falla, Nik J. Cunniffe · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant Virus Research Studies #Insect-Plant Interactions and Control #Plant Parasitism and Resistance
paper · doi:10.1111/ppa.70171
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/27
ABSTRACT Non‐persistently transmitted (NPT) plant viruses are a major threat to global food security, and are transmitted between plants by aphid vectors, being acquired and inoculated through brief epidermal probes. This fast mode of transmission makes control of NPT viruses difficult. Companion plants—a secondary plant species intercropped with the main host—could be used for disease control. Two options are ‘trap’ and ‘repellent’ companions that, respectively, attract the aphid away from the main host or repel the aphid from the field. However, while explored for aphid pest control, their use has been scarcely explored for NPT virus control despite experimental evidence of their efficacy. Using a mechanistic mathematical model of NPT virus transmission, we show that both companion plant types can control NPT viruses. However, trap plants appear to be a more reliable method, with more consistent control efficacy and yield benefits across a range of different model parameterisations. Repellent plants may be most useful in scenarios with highly mobile aphids migrating across an infected landscape. With less mobile aphids, such plants can worsen an epidemic by increasing aphid movement, despite decreasing aphid numbers. We also show that virus manipulation of plant phenotype (in particular ‘attract‐and‐deter’), which changes aphid behaviour to increase virus transmission, often reduces control efficacy, particularly for trap plants, but in certain circumstances can increase repellent plant control efficacy. Overall, we conclude that these companion plant types, rarely considered for control of NPT viruses, could be valuable tools.