Simultaneous Increase in CO₂ and Temperature Alters Wheat Growth and Aphid Performance Differently Depending on Virus...

Climate change impacts crop production, pest and disease pressure, yield stability, and, therefore, food security. In order to understand how climate and atmospheric change factors affect trophic interactions in agriculture, we evaluated the combined effect of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature on the interactions among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Barley yellow dwarf virus species PAV (BYDV-PAV) and its vector, the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.). Plant traits and aphid biological parameters were examined under two climate and atmospheric scenarios, current (ambient CO₂ and temperature = 400 ppm and 20 °C), and future predicted (elevated CO₂ and temperature = 800 ppm and 22 °C), on non-infected and BYDV-PAV-infected plants. Our results show that combined elevated CO₂ and temperature increased plant growth, biomass, and carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio, which in turn significantly decreased aphid fecundity and development time. However, virus infection reduced chlorophyll content, biomass, wheat growth and C:N ratio, significantly increased R. padi fecundity and development time. Regardless of virus infection, aphid growth rates remained unchanged under simulated future conditions. Therefore, as R. padi is currently a principal pest in temperate cereal crops worldwide, mainly due to its role as a plant virus vector, it will likely continue to have significant economic importance. Furthermore, an earlier and more distinct virus symptomatology was highlighted under the future predicted scenario, with consequences on virus transmission, disease epidemiology and, thus, wheat yield and quality. These research findings emphasize the complexity of plant-vector-virus interactions expected under future climate and their implications for plant disease and pest incidence in food crops.