Parsnip Webworms as Selective Agents on Primary Metabolites of Wild Parsnip

尽管植物中毒素的存在长期以来一直与抗虫性有关，但低营养质量同样可以保护植物免受昆虫敌人的侵害的想法四十多年来一直没有得到验证。 该项目的目标是测量Pastinaca sativa（野生防风草）营养质量的变化，并确定蛋白质、脂肪酸、维生素和糖等重要昆虫营养素的低水平是否与逃避植物的主要昆虫敌人Depressaria pastinacella的攻击有关。 该项目之所以令人感兴趣，不仅是因为它有助于从概念上理解植物-昆虫相互作用，而植物-昆虫相互作用共同构成地球上生物相互作用的主要形式，而且还因为它可能导致新的和环境相容的虫害防治方法。 培育抗虫害的作物品系，因为其基本昆虫营养素含量低，可以在不使用合成有机杀虫剂的情况下防治害虫。 对于昆虫的基本需求，但在人类饮食中相对重要的营养素可以专门针对操纵。 许多植物害虫仅以范围很窄的作物物种为食;由于它们的饮食极其专门化，以植物为食的害虫特别容易受到饮食中营养缺乏的影响，因为在许多情况下，缺乏的营养素无法通过转向其他植物物种来弥补。 与传统的农药处理相比，采用这种控制策略可以提高产量，降低获得抗性的风险，并减少对非目标物种的影响。

9628977 Berenbaum Although the presence of toxins in plants has long been associated with resistance to insects, the idea that low nutrient quality can similarly protect plants against their insect enemies has remained untested for over forty years. The goal of this project is to measure variation in the nutritional quality of Pastinaca sativa, the wild parsnip, and determine whether the low levels of such vital insect nutrients as protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and sugars are associated with escape from attack by Depressaria pastinacella, the principal insect enemy of the plant. This project is of interest not only because it can contribute to the conceptual understanding of plant-insect interactions, which collectively constitute the principal form of biological interaction on the planet, but also because it can potentially lead to new and environmentally compatible approaches to pest control. Breeding strains of crop plants that are resistant to insect damage based on their low content of essential insect nutrients can lead to pest control without use of synthetic organic insecticides. Nutrients that are essential requirements for insects but are relatively important in human diets can be specifically targeted for manipulation. Many plant pests feed on only a narrow range of crop species; because of their extremely specialized diet, plant-feeding insect pests are particularly vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies in their diet in that missing nutrients in many cases cannot be compensated for by switching to other plant species. Adoption of such a control strategy can lead to improved yields, reduced risks of resistance acquisition, and reduced impacts on nontarget species compared with conventional pesticide treatments.