Historical overview of host plant resistance; Crop plant and insect diversity; Secondary plant metabolites for insect resistance; Insect - plant interactions; Host plant selection; Mechanisms of resistance; Factors affecting expression of resistance; Screening for insect resistance; Plant resistance and insect pest management; Genetics of resistance to insects; Breeding for resistance to insects.
Introduction; Insect-plant interaction; Host-plant selection in Phytophagous insects; Mechanisms of resistance; Biochemistry of resistance; Factors affecting expression of resistance; Resistance programme; Genetics of resistance; Plant resistance in pest management.
Plant resistance to insects. Types and classification of resistance. Biochemical and morphological bases of resistance. Genetic factors affecting expession and stability of resistance. Environmental factors influencing the magnitude and expression of resistance. Insect behavior and plant resistance. Insects and plant pathogens. The pathosystem concept. The problem of variable pests. The use of plant incect models. Resistant varieties in pest management systems. Germplasm resources and needs. Breeding systems for resistance breeding for resistance in specific crops. Breeding approches in alfalfa. Breeding approaches in cassava. Breeding cotton for resistance to insect pests. Breeding approaches in rice. Breeding sorghums resistant to insects. Breeding forest trees resistance to insects. Breeding approaches in wheat. Future opportunities and directions.
The earliest land-plants evolved around 450 million years ago from aquatic plants devoid of vascular systems. The diversification of flowering plants (angiosperms) during the Cretaceous period is associated with speciation in insects. Early insect herbivores were mandibulate, but the evolution of vascular plants led to the co-evolution of other forms of herbivory, such as leaf feeding, sap-sucking, leaf mining, tissue borer, gall forming and nectar-feeding. Plant defense against biotic stress is an adaptive evolution by plants to increase their fitness. Plants use a variety of strategies to defend against damage caused by herbivores. Plant defense mechanisms are either inbuilt or induced. Inbuilt mechanisms are always present within the plant, while induced defenses are produced or mobilized to the site where a plant is injured. Induced defense mechanisms include morphological, physiological changes and production of secondary metabolites. Host plant resistance (HPR) is one of the eco-friendly methods of pest management. It protects the crop by making it less suitable or tolerant to the pest. While books on theoretical aspects of HPR are available, an exclusive book on the practical aspects is lacking. There is a wide gap between the theory and the experimental procedures required for conducting studies on plant resistance for the post graduate students and young researchers. A dire need for a book on practical aspects was strongly felt. Initially a practical manual was prepared which eventually evolved into the present book. We hope this book provides information on major aspects of screening crop germplasm, sampling techniques, genetic and biochemical basis of HPR, behavioural studies on pheromone and plant volatiles, and some of the recent approaches in HPR. Further, the references provide the scientific articles and books as additional information to readers and workers alike.
Sadasivam and Thayumanavan (both of the Center for Plant Molecular Biology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural U., India) catalogue known information regarding plant-borne chemicals that seem to be associated with pest resistance. They cover chemical structures, biosynthesis, bioactivity, mechanism of action.
Based on the understanding that tolerance to pest pressure increases with less crop stress, this book covers all aspects of the molecular mechanisms underlying insect resistance in field crops. Detailed descriptions, accompanied by numerous photographs and schematic drawings, are available for “hot topics” such as genetically engineered crops, crispr/cas9 system, insect pest resistance technology, host plant resistance, and other major breakthroughs. Specific case studies include, but not limit to, the use of insect resistant cultivars in IPMT programs, utilization of glucosinolate-myrosinase processes in oilseed crops, and role of genetic in rice breeding technology.
