How insects find out diseased plants

​London: The leaves of virus-infected plants reflect light differently to attract the attention of disease-spreading greenfly, new research suggests.

Plant viruses alter the surface of leaves, influencing how light is polarized and thereby helping insects to potentially 'see' infected plants, the findings showed.

The majority of vector-transmitted plant viruses are spread between host plants by insects, in particular by sap-sucking aphids -- more commonly known as greenfly -- which are thought to be sensitive to polarization patterns.

The research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, could open up a new field of research as plant scientists hope to solve some of the major threats to global food security.

"Transmission of plant viruses by insects is of huge importance to agriculture and the environment. Much of the historical work carried out has been within the visible wavelengths of light," said researcher Gary Foster, a professor at the University of Bristol in England.