Disease Resistant Tomatoes Fight Lethal Pests
April 10, 2013| |
Tomato lines that are resistant against thrips and the deadly virus it carries have been developed at Cornell University by breeder Martha Mutschler-Chu. Through molecular breeding, the tomato lines were developed to resist thrips by breeding into the cultivated tomato, insect resistant genes discovered in a wild tomato from Peru. Mutschler-Chu found that the resistance gene is mediated by droplets of sugar esters called acylsugars that are produced and exuded from hairs that cover the plants. The acylsugars deter the insects from laying eggs on the plants.
Thrips are also carriers of the deadly virus disease called tomato spotted wilt virus. One or both of the two natural genes known to resist the virus was bred into the insect resistant lines.
"If some thrips get through with the virus, the virus resistance genes are there to mop it up," Mutschler-Chu said. The results obtained in this study are the foundation of a new collaboration that will test tomato lines in different regions so as to come up with a more durable resistance against the pest and the virus.
Details on this news can be viewed at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/04/disease-resistant-tomatoes-fight-lethal-pests.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Biotech Information Centers Meeting 2013
- Science Forum 2013 to Discuss Nutrition and Health Link to Agricultural Research
- Regional Capacity-Building Workshop on the Nagoya Protocol
- Burkina Faso Gets US$1.2 Billion Due to Bt Cotton Production
- Argentina Accelerates Approval Process for Biotech Crops
- Disease Resistant Tomatoes Fight Lethal Pests
- Indian Farmers Continue to Adopt Biotech Crops
- New Video on Biotech Corn in the Philippines
- ISAAA Brief 44 Launch at the Government College University in Lahore
- Systematic Approach to Public Understanding of Biotech Needed in Malaysia
- Vietnam Turns S & T Into Key Driving Force
- Saline Resistant Rice Varieties Planted in Vietnam
- The First Biosafety and Bioethics Course in Thailand
- New Aeronautical Technology Aims to Improve Maize Yields
-
Research Highlights
- Effects of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Bumble Bees
- Relative Expression of Xa7 Controls Bacterial Leaf Blight Resistance
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- DNA Technology Developed for Faster Species Discovery
- Scientists Use GE in Immune Cells to Clear Leukemia Tumors
-
Announcements
- Second International Conference on Food and Environment, Budapest, Hungary
- Stimulating Innovation in Plant Genetic Resources, Brussels, Belgium
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet