PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 34: Herbivory
Thursday, August 11, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
The relationship between induced and constitutive resistance across genotypes of tomato.
Underwood, Nora*,1, White, Amanda1, Fairbanks, Emily1, Hopkins, Robin1, 1 Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
ABSTRACT- Plants have two modes of resistance to herbivores: constitutive resistance (their level of resistance in the absence of damage) and inducible resistance (the degree to which resistance level changes after damage). It has been hypothesized that there should be a negative relationship between these two modes of resistance due to redundancy of their effects, and costs of both types of resistance. However, the few studies that have looked at this relationship have found no correlation. Using choice and growth bioassays, we measured constitutive and induced resistance to Spodoptera exigua (beet armyworm) in 11 varieties of tomatoes. Half of the plants of each variety were damaged using armyworm larvae, and bioassays were performed three days after damage. We found significant variation in both constitutive and inducible resistance among tomato varieties, and an overall significant negative correlation between these two types of resistance.
Key words: herbivory, genetic variation, induced resistance, constitutive resistance