Western Australia
June 29, 2007
Plants are capable of defending
themselves with immune responses, according to
CSIRO and
University of Western Australia
based Robert Creasy's GRDC
supported PhD project, which uses an electrical system to
monitor aphid feeding.
Similar to the human immune response, barrel medic plants that
contain an aphid resistance gene can activate their defences and
deter aphids from feeding on them.
"Aphids feed on plants by sucking and ingesting limited plant
components, while producing comparatively little damage to plant
cells, meaning the plant might not know it's being eaten," Mr
Creasy said.
"We've now quantified aphid feeding behaviour and identified
where the resistance occurs in the plants and by understanding
how these genes function, we can provide growers with more
durable forms of resistance." |
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