Thrips Resistance In Tomato Plants

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Metabolomics has rapidly developed into a valuable technology playing an indispensable role in bridging the gaps in knowledge between phenotypes and genotypes. Together with ecological approaches it links genetics to fitness and function. Despite the general belief that a succesfull applied genomics project requires a combination of molecular, genetic, metabolomic and ecological approaches our programme is one of the first to integrate this range of expertise. We intend to study a phenolic compound, chlorogenic acid (CGA), which acts as an antioxidant in plants and is expected to protect against degenerative, age related diseases. Our programme will study the importance of CGA for plant resistance against herbivorous insects. Specifically we want: - to develop tomato lines resistant to western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) by increasing natural CGA levels, using a second generation molecular approach. - to explore the natural variation in CGA levels in tomatoes - to increase our understanding of the role of CGA in thrips resistance - to identify the genetics behind CGA production levels - to understand the relationships between CGA and the primary and secondary metabolism - to establish a long-lasting research network for post-genomic research