The Plant Protection Institute of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences has made new progress in the degradation of starch by gut microbiota of potato tuber moths

Core Tip: The system analyzed the gut microbiota structure of potato tuber moth larvae and elucidated the functions of pest gut microbiota in starch degradation and adaptation to high starch potatoes.

Potato tuber moth is an oligotrophic Lepidoptera pest that feeds on potato leaves and tubers, and has high adaptability to high starch potatoes, seriously affecting potato yield and quality. Traditional pest control methods often rely on chemical pesticides, but long-term use can lead to increased pest resistance and environmental pollution. Therefore, finding new pest management strategies is particularly important. This study conducted metagenomic sequencing analysis on 4th instar moth larvae of potato tubers collected from major potato producing areas in China, including Yunnan, Guizhou, and long-term laboratory feeding. It was found that the gut microbiota was dominated by Enterococcus, and the diversity of the field population was significantly higher than that of the indoor population. Research has found that antibiotics can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota and significantly reduce their abundance. The clustering analysis of ASVs at the genus level showed that the relative abundance of Enterococcus in the control group was 94%, while the antibiotic treatment group only accounted for 6%; After antibiotic treatment, the survival rate of potato tuber moth larvae was significantly reduced and the developmental period was significantly prolonged, indicating that gut microbiota is crucial for the growth and development of potato tuber moths. The study also found that after antibiotic treatment, the carbohydrate metabolism ability of potato tuber moth larvae significantly decreased, especially affecting the starch degradation process: the concentration of starch degradation intermediates, such as maltose, was significantly lower than that of the control group. Therefore, gut microbiota can help hosts adapt and feed on high starch potatoes, playing an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and host growth. This study not only enhances our understanding of the gut microbiota function of potato tuber moths, but also provides a scientific basis for developing environmentally friendly pest management strategies based on microbial regulation. The research was first completed by the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and was supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Engineering Talent Project and the National Key R&D Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.