Sublethal effects of plant defenses on Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, larvae

Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a valuable model organism for studying plant-insect interactions.  We are studying the sublethal effects of inducible defenses of tomato on Colorado potato beetle larvae.  A jai-1 mutant of tomato is being used to manipulate larval exposure to plant defenses. Plants that are homozygous for the jai-1 mutation are defective in the jasmonate hormone signaling pathway, which is crucial for regulating plant defenses to chewing insects. In the present study, Colorado potato beetle larvae are fed on jai-1 homozyous or wild-type plants to investigate the effects of plant defenses on larval weight gain and developmental rates.