Vectoplante
Vectoplante is a range of facilities dedicated to the rearing and experimentation on insect vectors of plant pathogens
The Vectoplante facilities include rooms allowing insect rearing in 3 levels of containment (S1 to S3), connected to laboratories for vector transmission of plant pathogens, and monitoring of insect behavior and life-history traits.
Research activities
- Biology of plant pathogen transmission by aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers, psyllids and thrips
- Small RNA biology of plant-virus-insect vector interactions
- Study of virus-vector-plant interactions involved in the epidemiology of insect-transmitted viral diseases
- Study of the impact of biotic and abiotic stresses on insect transmission of plant pathogens
Living biological resources: rearing species
The Vectoplante facilities maintain 7 aphid species (among which the model species Acyrthosiphon pisum and Myzus persicae), 1 whitefly species (Bemisia tabaci), 1 leafhopper species (Psammotettix alienus), 1 mealybug species (Planococcus citri), and 1 thrips species (Thrips tabaci).
More information about rearing species
Specific skills
- Insect rearing under different containment conditions
- Transmission tests of plant viruses and bacteria with aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers, psyllids or thrips
- Microdissection of organs or tissues of insect vectors
- Monitoring insect feeding behavior using electropenetrography (EPG)
- Morphological and molecular characterization
- Taxonomy of Psylloidea