Linked Plant Responses to Mechanical Perturbation and Pests

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9630798 Schultz Because they cannot move, plants often must respond simultaneously to many different environmental stresses. The investigator suggests that responses to one stimulus are likely to condition responses to others. Wind provides a stimulus experienced to a greater or lesser degree by all plants. Evidence suggests that plant responses to wind or touch involve many of the same or similar mechanisms seen in plant responses to insects and diseases. Naturalists frequently report that plant pests are scarce on windy, exposed sites, and 'natural' gardeners sweep, brush, or shake plants to enhance hardiness. The mechanisms behind these observations have not been determined. The proposed research will link plant responses to such physical stimuli with resistance to insects and disease. Bean plants and oak seedlings exposed to wind (fans) and shaking will be examined for biochemical changes related to tolerating such stresses and resisting pests. Preliminary evidence indicates that biochemical changes will indeed occur that can enhance pest resistance. This link will be confirmed by exposing treated and control plants to pests in the laboratory and in the field, to determine the significance of wind as a "protective" stimulus under natural conditions. This work provides the first real evidence of enhanced resistance to pests by physical stimuli, and tests fundamental hypotheses about the generality of plant responses to environmental cues and the organization of such responses. We foresee many potential applications of this work, from enhancing pest resistance in cultivated plants, to identifying constraints and optimal strategies in bioengineering or breeding superior cultivars.