Differential Defense Responses of Upland and Lowland Switchgrass Cultivars to a Cereal Aphid Pest.

Yellow sugarcane aphid (YSA) (, Forbes) is a damaging pest on many grasses. Switchgrass ( L.), a perennial C4 grass, has been selected as a bioenergy feedstock because of its perceived resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Aphid-Responsive Defense Networks in Hybrid Switchgrass.

Aphid herbivory elicits plant defense-related networks that are influenced by host genetics. Plants of the upland switchgrass ( ) cultivar Summer can be a suitable host for greenbug aphids (; GB), and yellow sugarcane aphids (, YSA), whereas the lowland cultivar Kanlow exhibited multi-species resistance that curtails aphid reproduction. However, stabilized hybrids of Summer (♀) x Kanlow (♂) (SxK) with improved agronomics can be damaged by both aphids.

Transcriptional responses of soybean aphids to sublethal insecticide exposure.

Insecticides are a key tool in the management of many insect pests of agriculture, including soybean aphids. The selection imposed by insecticide use has often lead to the evolution of resistance by the target pest through enhanced detoxification mechanisms. We hypothesised that exposure of insecticide-susceptible aphids to sublethal doses of insecticides would result in the up-regulation of genes involved in detoxification of insecticides, revealing the genes upon which selection might act in the field.

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) feeding elicits differential defense responses in upland and lowland switchgrass.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a low input, high biomass perennial grass being developed for the bioenergy sector. Upland and lowland cultivars can differ in their responses to insect herbivory.