In recent years, buffalograss has gained popularity as an alternative turfgrass species because of its exceptional drought tolerance and low maintenance requirements. Although few arthropods are injurious to buffalograss, the chinch bug, Blissus occiduus Barber, has emerged as an important insect pest of this warm-season turfgrass. The deployment of insect-resistant turfgrasses offers an attractive approach for managing chinch bugs associated with buffalograss because it is sustainable, economical, and environmentally-responsible. Buffalograsses which employ resistance traits to resist chinch bugs have been identified, however, information on the specific mechanisms contributing to this resistance is not known. This information is fundamentally important for formulating breeding strategies and subsequently developing insect-resistant sources through conventional breeding techniques and biotechnology. Understanding changes in the plant’s physiology and biochemistry may help to explain mechanisms underlying plant resistance. Accordingly, the objectives of this research were to document the impact chinch bug feeding has on the photosynthetic responses of resistant and susceptible buffalograsses, and to explore the role of plant proteins in the defense response of buffalograss to B. occiduus. Studies investigating physiological differences between chinch bug susceptible and resistant plants by measuring rates of photosynthesis demonstrated photosynthetic compensation in resistant buffalograsses. Enzyme activity assays and protein profiles showed that chinch bug feeding leads to a loss in catalase activity in susceptible buffalograsses. Resistant buffalograsses, on the other hand, may be able to tolerate chinch bug feeding by increasing their peroxidase activity. Results of this research provide essential information for developing improved turf-type buffalograsses with enhanced chinch bug resistance.
Species 1: Heteroptera Lygaeidae Blissus occiduus (chinch bug)
Keywords: host plant resistance, buffalograss
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