We have developed a novel strategy for the introduction of durable insect resistance in crops. This strategy was based on intervention in the natural relationship between plants and insects. For many insects, including pests such as thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), the flower is an important factor in their life cycle, serving either as a food source or as a place for mating. The insects are attracted to the flower by scent, which is mainly produced by the petals, and by the bright colour of these floral organs. We therefore anticipated that removal or changing the identity of the petals would significantly reduce the attractiveness of the flower to thrips. To test this hypothesis, we used cucumber as a model species because most modern varieties are parthenocarpic, in which the fruit develops without fertilization. The cucumber mutant green petals, in which the petals are homeotically transformed into green sepals, was particularly useful for this study. The susceptibility of the cucumber plants to damage by thrips was determined by recording thrip numbers and by measuring leaf damage. Large differences were observed when greenhouse compartments with either wild-type or green petal mutant plants were compared. The rate of population growth of the insects on the mutant plants was significantly reduced and the leaves were almost undamaged. These results demonstrate that alterations in the structure of flowers may interfere with the life cycle of insects, providing the means for a novel and natural strategy for obtaining insect resistance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-7652.2003.00013.x | DOI Listing |
Plant Cell Environ
January 2025
Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food and Safety, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
The striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis, SSB) is a highly destructive insect pest in rice (Oryza sativa). SSB oral secretions (OSs) can induce plant defense responses in rice. However, the specific effectors in SSB OSs that mediate these interactions with rice remain poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPest Manag Sci
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Central China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hubei Key Laboratory of Crop Disease, Insect Pests and Weeds Control, Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Science, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Background: The invasion of Spodoptera frugiperda into China has caused serious losses to the food industry and has developed varying degrees of resistance to various chemical pesticides. Developing new plant-based pesticides is of great significance for the sustainable management of S. frugiperda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Agric Food Chem
January 2025
National Engineering Research Center of Sugarcane, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
The invasion of the fall armyworm poses substantial threats to local agricultural safety, including the sugarcane industry. Exploring the insect-resistance mechanism is crucial for breeding resistant varieties. This study selected three representative materials from the genus─ L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasit Vectors
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Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Vida (CICV), Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Colombia.
Background: Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses in Colombia. Various insecticides, including pyrethroid, organophosphate, and carbamate insecticides; growth regulators; and biological insecticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, have been used to control Ae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeotrop Entomol
January 2025
College of Resources and Environment, Henan Engineering Research Center of Biological Pesticide & Fertilizer Development and Synergistic Application, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, China.
Sitobion miscanthi is a wheat aphid species that can damage seriously agricultural production. The effective management of wheat aphids has depended on chemical insecticides. However, their wide application led to severe resistance of wheat aphids to some insecticides, and cytochrome P450 as a detoxifying enzyme plays a crucial role in the insecticide resistance.
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